The
untimely passing of theatrical seeker Ken Campbell a decade ago left a huge
hole in what used to be called alternative theatre. That space is slowly but
surely being poked around by a new generation of onstage anarchists who have
been infiltrated by Campbell’s madcap spirit. Playwright Terry Johnson fell
under Campbell’s influence several decades ago while working with the creator
of an eleven-hour staging of Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson’s hippy sci-fi
conspiracy epic, Illuminatus!, as a young actor.
Ken
is Johnson’s new homage to Campbell, and is produced by Hampstead Theatre
alongside improv troupe and one-time Campbell charges The Showstoppers to mark
the tenth anniversary of Campbell’s death. The show also sees Johnson return to
performing onstage for the first time in many years in what he calls an
‘interrupted monologue’. The interruptions in Johnson’s dramatic reminiscence
of a man who has had a huge influence on popular culture come from a very familiar
looking figure played with uncanny accuracy by Jeremy Stockwell.
Campbell
entered the young Johnson’s life by way of a phone call meant for the person
who used to occupy the young would-be playwright’s room. What follows is a life-changing friendship
that saw Johnson become a co-conspirator of Campbell’s as he embarked on a
series of what he called capers. As well as Illuminatus!, Campbell’s assorted
adventures included touring with The Ken Campbell Roadshow, directing Neil
Oram’s 24-hour epic, The Warp and a series of monologues he called The Bald
Trilogy.
Campbell
was not only a big influence on Johnson. He also inspired everyone from Nina
Conti to Bill Drummond to follow their own individual paths. Together, Johnson
and Stockwell reveal a free-wheeling genius in all his grumpy and unhinged
glory with a theatrical exuberance and a pop-eyed irreverence that make more
self-consciously serious dramatic musings appear dull. As one might expect,
this becomes quite a caper
Ken,
Pleasance until August 27, 3.20pm
The Herald, August 18th 2018
ends
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