The Beast

The Beast is as unwieldy and untamed as its name suggests making for an outrageously funny black comedy leaving few unscathed. Playing at the Comedy Theatre till 4 September, the show revolves around a trio of couples whose secrets cast a dark cloud over their lives.

Eddie Perfect – known for his acting and hosting roles on Offspring and Play School – is the brainchild behind The Beast in what is his first screenplay that comments on contemporary middle-class values and fads; everything from wine snobbery to inner-suburban housing market trends are unpacked.

The play opens with three friends, Rob, Simon and Baird, stranded in the middle of the ocean due to the incompetence of the skipper who dies in front of them. The fishing expedition soon tests the limits of humanity as they decide just how far they will go to survive.

Once they are safely rescued, the three attempt to rebuild their lives and make a ‘tree-change’ in hopes of leading an ethical and tranquil life in the country, suppressing their ordeal deep in the subconscious.

The real action begins when Simon (Rohan Nichol) and Gen (Christie Whelan) visit Rob (Toby Truslove) and Sue (Heidi Arena), who are settling into their new home, and invites them to a gastronomic nose-to-tail feast courtesy of a locally sourced cow they will slaughter for the festivities.

Tragedy strikes on the day of the party, however, when the butcher – or ‘meatsmith’ – does not show up, leaving the six guests with a problem: what do they do with the cow? The messy result is a night of blood, infidelity and deception where marital woes and dark secrets are fleshed out and in the end, their lives will never be the same.

The Beast is not for the weak hearted; every topic is fair game for fodder although jokes on abortion, miscarriages and Down syndrome edge ever so closely to the point of no return. Praise is awarded to the stellar ensemble cast, who play their loathsome counterparts with fervour and enthusiasm.

Special points are awarded to Arena (The Librarians), playing the role of the haughty and over-bearing wife to the hilt while Truslove (Utopia) was a riot, playing the frustrated and emasculated husband gasping for nicotine-filled air to escape the stale confinements of his marriage. Nichol (Red Dog) is a true villain.

The Beast is the worst dinner party you want to be invited to!

The Beast
The Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Thursday August 25 – Sunday September 4
thebeastplay.com