PE EXPRESS | WEDNESDAY 19 JUNE 2013
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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with Impeccable Taste (Legit), joined by John Cleese, are from left Elderberry, Cleese, Moonshine and Incontinentio. The photo was taken at the Feather Market Hall on Saturday. FOTO: MICHAEL
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Basil Fawlty joins L.E.G.I.T. ASIDE from being the home town of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with impeccable taste (L.E.G.I.T.), Port Elizabethans can now proudly add the name of Basil Fawlty to its boast of luminaries who have personally graced our stages with the iridescent splendour of their celebrity. Cleese is to sketch comedy what Frank Sinatra was to big band jazz, Elvis was to rock n roll and George Carlin was to stand-up: A godfather and a living legend, with the distinct advantage in his particular instance of still being alive…and hobbling around the Feathermarket Hall this past weekend. So it was that our local high society purveyors and surveyors of fine taste, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (LEGIT) took it upon themselves to test their superior opinions, superb wit and immeasurable intellect on what promised to be a most remarkable evening. Anyone who has met the gentlemen even briefly will know that whilst the combined weight of their burlesque personalities and considerable social standing has been known to have an irrevocable impact on local opinion, they seldom, if ever, agree. Cleese opened the evening with a short diatribe attributing his financial woes – and indeed the need for the tour itself – to his ex-wife who had recently taken him to the cleaners to the tune of some 13 million pounds. This was immediately the first point of departure amongst our gents, for Incontinentio was an ardent Python fan who would defend his do-no-evil Lord even if it meant losing all his limbs, whilst Elderberry was of the considered opinion that more truth lay behind this than the humour belied. “I could not help but laugh the moment the man walked onto stage,” enthused Icontinentio. “When you have created some of the greatest British comic sketches and moments of all time and helped to shape comedy in our lifetimes… well, you just have to laugh, because no words can encapsulate that!” “But he was more intelligent than wildly funny; more interesting than novel in any particular way,” argued Elderberry. “His performance, whilst nostalgic and entertaining in itself, was essentially serious-minded and seemed to lack the spark of comic vitality which had once been his signature.” Moonshine, being a practical fel-
low, had done his research and had prepared himself for the relatively serious tone of the show. Whilst the others were discussing their expectations of Sir John, he busied himself by being an upstanding patron of the Tall Horse wine stand. “Just being in the same room as someone who I have laughed at since I was 7 or 8 years old is awe-inspiring enough, not to mention the fact that he is a massive influence on many of the British Comedians I love today, such as Ricky Gervais and Eddie Izzard,” Moonshine opined between lengthy sips. “Cleese offered a rare ‘backstage’ view of an illustrious career, clearly meant for those who already have a fondness, if not a reverence, for the source material. I think Elderberry should perhaps have stayed at home with his Monty Python DVD’s and his clear lack of appreciation of comedic legends,” was his challenge. This brought Moonshine and Incontinentio dangerously close to agreeing; something which they would later blame on the good red wine. “I realize that Cleese could not possibly have lived up to the manic, highly strung tradition of his characters, but somehow the indelible romance of our memories risk being eroded by glimpses of the time-ravaged human being behind the legend,” mused Elderberry philosophically. Incontinentio countered: “John Cleese and his fellow geniuses have made their way into our homes … and into our heads via the funny bone. Each of us feel as if we know those chaps intimately; we know Cleese like he is part of our family. He’s gawky and desperate and very much like Basil Fawlty himself.” “Cleese seemed to lack the spiritual vigour we have come to expect from his aged compatriots such as Tina Turner and Mick Jagger, who somehow managed to incorporate their older selves into their on-going legacy,” urged Elderberry. A sense of decorum had prevailed, pleasing banter between the colourless interviewer and the lord of comedy ensued, interspersed with video snippets of pivotal sketches over his career. No flashy, pompous set design, no explosions, no funny walks...“precisely because he’s old,” Incontinentio offers by way of explanation. “ And he doesn’t need to do much because, he’s already done it all!” He’s still a lofty six foot four and his voice is instantly recognizable from his legendary body of work which most of the audience could most likely have recited word for word if he’d asked them to do so. One brave heckler, whom we have established was in fact not Moonshine, did yell out “Albatross!” but Cleese pointed out in his own way that he wasn’t the first to shout out a Monty Python reference in one of his shows. You see, many of us think that Monty Python’s comedy is only appreciated by a select few – “it has to be seen …and shared… to be understood,” they say. Even then, some people still look at you laughing and say “that’s just silly.” But that is precisely the point: it is funny because it’s silly! How else could you get an audience to roar with laughter thirty years after doing a sketch featuring two men merrily hitting each other over the head with a fish? All who were at the show can certainly agree with the pedigree of the legendary John Cleese, and while some longed for a bit more ‘voomah’, others were taken in by the rare glimpse behind the curtain of a show which most of us had seen many times over. So did the gentlemen enjoy the show? The answer, I’m afraid, is . . . “pork”. ) Follow LEGIT on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/legitpe If you would like to invite the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to review your establishment or service offering, email them at legit@centrestage.co.za. And that’s LEGIT!