Murder, madmen, and ... panthers? Oh my! The invasion of Pink Panthers has come to Paul IV in their recent performance of "The Pink Panther Strikes Again." With a strong cast, dynamic characters and great physicality, this farce caused a lot of laughs.
Adapted from the popular 1976 movie, "The Pink Panther Strikes Again follows Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau as he tries to save the world from destruction. Meanwhile Former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus has gone insane and is trying to destroy Clouseau (and England)!
The cast worked well together and special combat effects made the show funny and entertaining. While some actors did have accent confusion, and others were not quite as big as they could have been, the cast worked well to cover any slip-ups and the show went on. The onstage band known as “Bandther Browne and the Swinging Pants” played well and was also creatively incorporated into the show.
Tommy Hodge played Clouseau and was an extremely believable Frenchman. His chemistry worked well with other characters such as his lover Olga (played by Meghan Shea) and his facial expressions were large and funny.
His counterpart Jake Miller who played the madman Dreyfus also helped sell the show. It was easy and fun to watch as he changed from slightly insane to raving lunatic using physicality and facials.
Many smaller roles also made the show funny such as the Ninja techniques of Cato (Juan Miguel Fernandez) and the drag/butler role of Jarvis (Paolo Umayam).
While the sound did have a few issues in the first act the second act picked up well. The lighting was subtle but well-done as well as the make-up. The costumes, which were largely student designed, were a definite addition to the show.
The Pink Panthers have indeed struck again. With laughs and insanity, Paul IV did a good job with their performance.