Rik Mayall as Richard Richard and Adrian Edmondson as Eddie present to the audience in this live format pure toilet humour and slapstick at its very best. The story is about two friends who share an apartment in England and have no money. Unemployed, pathetic, disgusting, and horny, but loyal friends – they have a strong bond, but no integrity (so either of them would sell the other for a blow up doll or a pint of beer.)
Neither of them is particularly brave, although they would both fight to the death for that one thing they value – for Rich that would be getting laid, for Eddie it would be alcohol.
Richard is Mayall’s very basic character, a thirty-something virgin with a small penis. He’s getting saggy and fat, not particularly good looking with no redeeming qualities. Eddie is a bit of a prick and revels in beating up Richard. They have been friends for most of their lives. What money they get on welfare doesn’t keep them going from week to week. Eddie is obviously a bit of an alcoholic so he manages to buy liquor.
Richard is the kitchen bitch, so he’s in charge of making food for them both. But the fridge is empty. Well, it’s empty of food. Anything that lives in there, is years past its use by date and growing a good length of mold.
Bottom is not The Young Ones, although Mayall’s character is similar to the anarchist wannabe he played in The Young Ones. They are both older, grownups with immature priorities and attitudes. Life moved on, and they got left behind. I would go so far as to say that Bottom is better than The Young Ones, the humour is more base, but the style is more fun and interesting. The Young Ones was punk and surreal, absurd storylines inspired by stoner sessions and student poverty. Bottom is minimalist theatre – we as writers challenge ourselves (says Mayall and Edmondson) to write about nothing.
The live version of Bottom is possibly in some ways better, more fresh. It’s funny when they screw up their lines, improvise for a few beats or break character. It being the length of a feature film, you get more substance than can be afforded in a 30 minute TV show. This sequel to the first live show is just as good as the first.
Some of my favourite jokes are improvisations that Edmondson does when Mayall screws up some lines. Edmondson is the clever one, but Mayall has the attitude. They are a wonderful team and they have provided here a gloriously entertaining story, well worth watching to the end.
The overall Bottom plot follows Eddie and Rich as their empty lives continue in a crap hole in a horrible part of England. British humour, it travels though. You don’t have to be an intellectual, English or an idiot to appreciate Bottom.
In this feature-length story, Rich is preparing for the Queen to arrive, and Eddie is helping – she is scheduled to appear on their street and Rich optimistically thinks that if he gets his willie out and flashes her from the window, and attracts her with fireworks she will take the time to visit their flat.
Everything that can go wrong potentially often does in Bottom, but the way it finally explodes is rarely predictable – you’ll guess some things but only the parts that they want you to.
This play feels like a typical stage play, though I would compare it more to a movie or to the series that it’s based on. Some of the production design is very clever, with fart smoke and the odd prop. The jokes are literally more than a laugh a minute even if you don’t easily laugh out loud.
3.5 stars
the joy of eating and the folly of thinking 