Review: The Full Morty

A comical journey along the meandering road of the S.A male psyche.

By Jaco Lotriet

It never ceases to amaze me how an actor can walk onto a stage in a one-man show and manage to keep the audience enthralled for an hour or even longer, sticking to a script, perhaps ad-libbing on the odd occasion and never losing the audience’s attention. Critically acclaimed theatre actor and TV personality Mortimer Williams does exactly this and more during his performance of The Full Morty. The title in itself, is a parody of the film The Full Monty but obviously with a play on an abbreviated version of his own name. Williams reveals all, literally and figuratively, although it might not be the way you think… This candid production is guaranteed to have you reeling in your seat in a humour packed, side-splitting 70 minute presentation, centred on testosterone, as the main theme.

Almost immediately apparent from the onset, is the cleverly written script that encapsulates a devilish naughtiness. Thrown into this mix of cabaret-infused stand-up comedy, is Williams’ sharp wit, precisely executed comedic timing and onstage antics, creating a winning formula. His engaging delivery takes us into fascinating, uncharted territory, starting with adolescence and ending with parenthood, all the while dispensing great tips to the male members of the audience, in their encounters with their female counterparts. This by no means suggests that the ladies feel left out… On the contrary and much to my delight, I observed it was the female audience members who responded resoundingly to his questions! Williams encouraged truthful answers, in what he called ‘a safe space’ and rest assured, the answers were truthful, as one would expect in such a tongue-in-cheek production.

Being a first time attendee of this show and seeing Williams as an actor on stage, I was quite amazed by his talent and charisma, in all facets of his acting ability. One is hard-pressed to believe that Williams is actually delivering the vocals to the classic songs, rendered during the show. The magic of the music was enhanced with Williams’ energetic and spiced up dance moves, as well as his ability to effortlessly immerse himself in the different cultures and accents of South Africa. His strong deliverance and well thought out routines strung the audience members along as he illustrated his relatable stories, supported by those musical snippets.

Off the stage, on the small screen, Mortimer Williams is no stranger to anyone. His impressive resume attests to this and he is best known for his starring role as Ricci September in the TV series Erfsondes, and was also seen in 7de Laan and Isidingo, to name but a few. Theatre credits include Richard Lorings’ African Footprint, The Young Ones and That’ll Be The Day.

Complementing the production’s creativity, is AFDA graduate writer / director, Kristy Suttner. She is a singer and actress in her own right, performing in Fiddler on the Roof at The Joburg Theatre and also played lead in Andrew’s Sister and Cabaret. Suttner has most recently been seen alongside Williams in the highly successful Mix Tape, which has had three sell out runs at the National Arts Festival, as well as a season at The Auto and General Theatre on the Square.

The Full Morty is indeed a laughing matter, with Mortimer Williams at his best, leaving the audience entertained in a real naked, South African style of unadulterated humour. Catch this entertaining one-man adventure for six performances only, at The Fringe at Joburg Theatre from 31 May – 5 June 2016.