Mashing-up all things Shakespearean with director Ivan Reitman’s original Ghostbusters (1984), this is a knowingly condensed version rendered with something like a millionth of the movie’s budget, even though there’s plenty of cheeky imagination and ingenuity in bringing the supernatural comedy to the stage.
The nine-strong acting troupe quickly adopt multiple roles throughout, just like Monty Python, and they’re obviously having big fun as The Narrator (Rik Brown) introduces us to those ‘Busters Of Ghosts’: Dr. Peter Venkman (Danny McGinlay filling in for Bill Murray); Dr Rat Stantz (the show’s director, Rob Lloyd, filling in for Dan Aykroyd); Zac Rose as Winston Zeddemore; and Dr. Egon Spengler (Elysia Janssen filling in for the late lamented Harold Ramis).
A little of the movie’s sharpest original dialogue is kept intact, but mostly there is much wittily medieval-sounding scripting, including the memorable, “A pox on all thy crotches!”, and the wonderfully lo-fi effects are always amusing, such as the ghost librarian sequence early on offering levitating books simply being carried around by the cast. Puppeteer Donna Prince’s creations are impressive too, especially a sweet ‘Slimer’, who swooped at me as I left the theatre.
Cassandra Hart is a cool Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver in the pic) and other characters, while Corey M. Glamuzina is uncannily good as Louis Tully (Rick Moranis onscreen), and Seon Williams is a hoot as Janine Melnitz, sounding so much like the movie’s Annie Potts that it’s scary. She also turns up later as… um… spoilers!
And Zounds (pronounced “Zoonds!”, apparently), but one is not afraid of no-eth ghost!
Shakespeare Ghostbusters is on during Adelaide Fringe at Main Theatre, Goodwood Theatre and Studios until 16 March. Get your tickets here.
