Hew Parham has come all the way from Australia to debut his one-man mythology. As Schmoo, he presents us with the story of his birth and his hero's journey. He is hampered by a monstrous, powerful enemy, and by his own fears. He comes through his tribulations to the strains of, and on a raft made of...Nana Mouskouri!
Hew plays all the parts, switching seamlessly from a baby to a beast. Hugh is one of the best practitioners of what of what I want to call "illuminated gibberish," that I have ever seen. This is ranting in gibberish with occasional recognizable words. Hugh can do it in French or with a Scottish accent! He is also an eloquent physical performer, so his body tells the story a much as his wonderful chatter.
There are no easy gags, few familiar routines. Schmoo will charm you with his deep love of a feather, and scare you with the deep growls of the monstrous Oog, but most of all he will make you laugh at his antics and original dilemmas.
I could have wished that Hew had given us a bit of time and breath to catch up to his rapid fire imagination. And that he had taken his eyes off the feather a bit more to let us see him. But all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey!
There is only one more chance to see Odyssey Schmodyssey--Sunday, 9/11 at 5 pm.
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