‘National Security and the Art of Taxidermy’, a co-production of the Glynn Nicholas Group with Belvoir’s B Sharp, recently played the downstairs theatre at the Seymour Centre. A one person satirical comedy, the play was written by Sydney based playwright Mary Rachel Brown, and performed by David Callan with Glynn Nicholas in the director’s chair.
David Callan played the character of Neville Clements, a professional taxidermist and confirmed racist, who fails to understand the difference between being alert and alarmed.
During the course of the play the audience finds out what an odd fellow Neville is. For instance, he explains to the audience why he believes that Uzi Mine Millimetrs, his military trained German shepherd, mistakes his mother’s silky terrier for a weapon of mass destruction. All I can say is that I am glad that Neville Clements has no say in national security
Then there’s his explanation of the reason he stuffs budgies and not poodles because, ‘budgies coats are made of wool, not fur, therefore they can’t be classified as a dog’.
I still have the formidable image in my mind of leaving the theatre with the image of Neville patting his very impressively stuffed and very large German shepherd.
My response to the show-was lukewarm. David Callan, a formidable theatre personality in his own right, with his one one man show ‘I Spied’ behind him, gave a funky and funny performance. Mary Rachel Brown’s script was suitably wacky with some interesting insights into taxidermy both from the professional and clients’ perspective.
I’ll end with a joke, not a precise, from the show’s media release. ‘National Security and the Arts of Taxidermy’ reiterates the long held belief that taxidermy is truly a dying art!