Monday was the opening night of the Kalmarspexarna, Jack the Ripper. The only Spex performed in English, this production might be small, but it is by no means insignificant.
Held in the Kalmar Nation basement, the play transports its audience down to the murky depths of Victorian London, a city ruled by whores, homosexuals and murderers. Here we follow the story of Aaron Kosminski a Polish-Jewish hairdresser working in Whitechapel as he attempts to clear his name of the brutal murders of four local prostitutes. Oscar Wilde, Charles Darwin, Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens and Florence Nightingale all make an appearance. Even Queen Victoria shows her face. But not her Albert Hall, you’ll be pleased to hear. (Don’t get the reference? Go see the Spex and all will become disturbingly clear.)
Like any good Spex, Jack the Ripper is full of sex, drugs and double entendre. And the diminutive size of the performance space (including that of the five-piece band), which is little larger than the average corridor room, only serves to better conjure the cramped and over-intimate atmosphere of East London at the end of the 19th century. It even makes the jokes dirtier. Quite literally. At one point, when ‘the Medium’ was conjuring the spirits of the departed – an orgasmic process, apparently – she violently spits on her chakra. More than one globule of saliva splattered onto the leg of my neighbour in the front row. It wasn’t billed as immersive theatre, but I guess a Spex wouldn’t be a Spex without a surprise or three thrown in for free!
Having the performance in English not only means international students can come and watch the Spex, but that they can get involved too. A lascivious Charles Darwin with a disturbing monkey obsession and cat fractal obsessive Louis Wain were both played by Finns and the entirely incompetent Inspector Gregory was played by a student from Germany. Judging by their names and accents it’s likely the excellently effeminate Oscar Wilde was played by a Brit and the fantastically flexible, whip wielding dominatrix Florence Nightingale was played by an American.
Another notable aspect of this, and all Spexs, is the retake tradition. Be sure to call for one when Aaron Kosminski sings – he happens to rap rather well – and whenever you get the chance for Oscar Wilde who certainly lives up to the great British comic tradition with some of the best improvisations of the night. Charles Darwin’s monkey steals the show at times too.
If you’d like to wrap your eyes round this particular Spex, don’t delay. Tonight’s and Sunday’s performances are sold out, but there are still a few spots available for tomorrow night (12th December). If you’re really really keen to see the show, then it’s worth heading over to Kalmar Nation just before the performance start time to see if there are any returns.
