Pluck this!

Had a chance to catch PLUCK – the musical at the Actor’s Studio over the weekend, and it’s a performance that I won’t forget for a very long time and, in my mind, shall be the standard by which many other musical-comedies will be judged from henceforth.

A witty and inventive string trio who comically make their way through a gamut of classical masterpieces ranging from Mozart to the theme from Pink Panther. Formed in 2002, these three crazy musicians have astonished audiences everywhere with their zany combination of gut-wrenchingly funny comedic relief and excellent music.

Since winning the prestigious Tap Water Award at last year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival, PLUCK has played to sold-out houses in the UK, Europe and Australia, including Sydney's Big Laugh Comedy Festival, the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Finland's Jyvaskyla Festival and Italy's Tetro della Tosse in Genoa.



PLUCK consists of Jon Regan, the group’s viola player, Sian Kadifachi, the cellist and Adrian Garratt, the violinist. The group hails from London and has won the Tap Water Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. They’ve performed to sold-out houses in Britain, Europe and Australia. Malaysia, too, at least on the night I was there – the show’s last performance on Sunday night.

Described as a musical where “…great music falls into the hands on talented idiots”, it’s a winning attempt at looking at the classics on a lighter note, allowing it to appeal to a much larger and younger audience than traditional, often stuffy, full-on concerts at philharmonic halls where uncomfortable evening wear is a must.

The performance at Actor’s Studio on Sunday began rather oddly with a nervous-looking Jon fumbling about the stage carrying a violin, viola and cello – and smiling sheepishly and uncertainly at the audience as he walked onto stage and sat on his chair. Jon has the uncanny talent of making the most comical of faces, and I must admit, he was the star of the show in my eyes.

Sian and Adrian made their entrance shortly thereafter, and, proceeded, to the shock of purists, to play their instruments like guitars. But the result was great music – and it provoked the delight of the audience.

As the performance unraveled itself, it became obvious that the trio were frighteningly adept at interpreting the classics in the most hilarious of scenes. Jon and Adrian were seemingly permanently engaged in an endless duel of pointless competition.

Sian, was the sane one in the performance. She often sulked endlessly, but this just added immensely to the performance – she was the good cop. She did, however, have the world’s best fake smile especially reserved for Adrian – something we could all relate to when facing our bosses, I’m sure.

Adrian, Jon and Sian performed classics from composers like Bach & Mozart, stirred in some jazz, and a few Beatles numbers – all in a very unconventional way. Even Pink Panther’s theme made an unseemly appearance! Jon’s unexpected appearance with HUGE cymbals was gut-wrenchingly funny. I’m sure this man is a normal, mature adult off stage, but on-stage he takes the cake for being the funniest, most childish character I’ve seen in a LONG time! And all this from a character that doesn’t speak a single line!

It was not all violins, viola and cello, though. Sian’s amazing vocals was given a chance to captivate the audience in her rendition of the ever-popular jazz piece “Fever”. It turns out that Sian had graduated from the prestigious Guildhall School of Music with honours in cello and jazz singing. Her voice has an amazing sultry quality that is totally at odds with the comical character she portrays in the performance.

There was also, to my horror (as I was seated on the second row from the stage, which is WAY too close for comfort when these sort of things happen) the almost compulsory (at least by Malaysian standards) audience participation, and two “lucky” members of the audience got “wooed” by Sian, Adrian and Jon in a hilarious scene where the three of them went all out to “chat up” the two, using nothing but their “instruments” of choice. Having Jon and Adrian just a foot or two away from my seat was an unnerving experience, to say the least.

All in all, it was one of the best performances I’ve attended in a very, very long time. If you ever get a chance to catch the trio again in town, don’t miss it – you’ll kick yourself in the behind if you did!

A little history on the “PLUCKERS”:-

SIAN KADIFACHI
Sian is PLUCK's smallest member but owns the largest instrument. Her cello is only half the story, though - Sian's other instrument is her amazing voice. After graduating with honours in both cello and jazz singing at the Guildhall School of Music, Sian's work has ranged from traditional classical gigs to playing and singing with jazz ensembles and pop bands. She also tutors adults at the East London Late Starters Orchestra (ELLSO). She has played at the Royal Albert Hall for the Proms, sung in the Jazz Café and Ronnie Scott's in London, is releasing an album in 2005 with the group Shrift, and has a beautiful surname that sounds rather like a sneeze.

JON REGAN
Jon is PLUCK's viola player. He graduated with honours from Exeter University's music programme (where he developed an understanding of post tonal analysis and played the violin in drag!) and earned a Masters in Music from Trinity College London (during which time he served Angus Deayton asparagus at the Brit Awards). He now leads a double life as both player and conductor with the Dorking Philharmonia. Just in the last year, he appeared on a catwalk in Slovenia, entertained Steven Berkoff, and wore a wrestling mask in front of over 1,000 people. His other musical talents include being an excellent guiro player.

ADRIAN GARRATT
Adrian Garratt's career started in 1996, when his violin-playing led him into the world of busking. Since then, he has entertained crowds in three continents with his street-performing routines, as well as keeping up more traditional playing. He has worked with Yehudi Menuhin in the UK, Vladimir Ashkenazy in South Africa, and Rainer Hersch below a strip club in Soho. Rarely separated from his rucksack or his bike, the phrase "regular income" is not part of Adrian's vocabulary. He is known to his friends as 'Liberty Man' because of his penchant for fine clothes.