RUMBA
Director: Dominique Abe, Fiona Gordon & Bruno Amy
Friday 29 January 2010
at 8pm
The West Wing, Borris House

Gordon and Abel play Fiona and Dom, a married teacher-couple who are much loved by their pupils but live for the Latin American ballroom competitions that they rule in the evenings and weekends with their passionate rumba. There is a nice, relaxed sight gag about the end of a school day: jubilant, cheering kids run in a seemingly endless line out of the exit doors, followed by a short pause, and then a shorter line of grown-up teachers follows them, cheering in exactly the same way. Fiona and Dom have more to cheer about than most.

But driving home one night from a typical trophy-winning success they encounter a dorky depressive, played by Martz, who is attempting, incompetently, to take his own life. His appearance brings about a catastrophe that causes their lives and relationship to unravel. But finally, through a series of wacky coincidences – existential pratfalls of fate – they are to be reunited, though a visual joke concerning a rubber ring at the end of the final credits shows that the ­ incorrigibly idiotic Martz is still addicted to unsuccessful attempts at topping himself.

The general silent-movie-comedy style, together with a couple of specific allusions to Mr Hulot's Holiday, summon up the spirit of Tati, and these players are not embarrassed in his company. Cleverly, Gordon and Abel enact a broken choreography of happenstance: an absurd and chaotic dance of fate the characters are forced to undergo when a chance disaster disrupts their happy marital two-step. You will need to be a little patient and indulgent with this brand of comedy, but its sweetness of nature will win you round. Other comics of the post-Borat/Brüno generation may be going for in-your-face gags, but Abel, Gordon and Romy are trying to get out of your face – and into your heart.

Review by Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

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