Review: Capital Fringe's Tempered BOND: AN UNAUTHORIZED PARODY

Capital Fringe's Bond: An Unauthorized Parody contains all the elements that have made James Bond the cinematic man with the golden run. Gavin Robertson's impressive physical performance alone is equal to any of the stunts done in the films. That being said, while the spy genre is no stranger to parody, Bond: An Unauthorized Parody can best be described in the words of another iconic superhero as rather "mild-mannered."

Robertson convincingly portrays more than a dozen characters in a story which features an aging Bond - think Sean Connery in Never Say Never Again. British Intelligence has received an enigmatic message and Bond finds himself traveling from London to Hollywood to Jamaica in a race that threatens his very existence.

Great care has gone into crafting Bond: An Unauthorized Parody. The show follows much of the same format as the movies, making itself more of a tribute at times than an actual parody. Many of the quips offered are comments one could actually imagine Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan making. This isn't a bad thing, but is unexpected given that when you think of spy parodies you think of exaggerated characters like Austin Powers or Maxwell Smart of Get Smart. Robertson's Bond is light on that quality and you wish he were a bit more ridiculous. Even the secondary characters seem like carbon-copies of those they are spoofing.

Theatrically though, Robertson's physicality and ability to create a vivid world out of almost nothing is thrilling. Using three rectangular frames, he transforms the stage into a myriad of locations. Robertson's impressive attention to detail is played for maximum comedic effect, such as when Bond walks through a metal detector and has to remove his piercings, while also introducing us to a range of characters and personalities. Music has always been essential to the Bond films and composer Danny Bright provides an added value in building the scenes.

The most impressive moment comes when Bond finds himself rushing to Los Angeles International Airport. Robertson pulls out all the physical stops to show the various methods of transportation. It's here where the parody is at its best, with Robertson's Bond using everything from a horse to the space shuttle to beat the clock. And speaking of transportation, no Bond parody is complete without a fancy car. An Aston Martin makes an appearance, but I won't reveal how that happens!

Bond: An Unauthorized Parody is an enjoyable night out at Capital Fringe. Fans of 007 will delight in the opportunity to see how many movie and character references they can catch. Even those unfamiliar with the movie franchise will enjoy the show's tongue-in-cheek humor, not to mention seeing Robertson's transformation into 10+ characters. However, for a parody, one wishes that this show were more edgy.

Runtime: 50 minutes with no intermission

Photo Credit: Capital Fringe

Bond: An Unauthorized Parody at Capital Fringe runs thru July 18th at the Dance Place: Brookland Artspace Lofts Studio - 3305 8th Street, NE Washington, DC 20017. For performance dates, times and tickets please click here.

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