From 2 through 4 February, The Cheese Grater’s premier sketch comedy group, favourite illegitimate child, and self-described “militant wing”, the Graters, will be performing Goudafellas — Making You an Offer You CAN Refuse at Bloomsbury Studio.
As a sketch group that built a cinematic universe around a mythical being that appears after you pee in the shower at Christmastime and an intimate relationship between Fungus and his cousin, we were thrilled to hear that directors Carla Rodrigues and Robin Elfsberg had managed to reach the pinnacle of the artsUCL community by securing a Bloomsbury slot (an endeavour that Robin once described to me as like Thomas Hobbes’ “the state of nature”).
In anticipation of what will surely be the 21st century version of Hamlet (we are not biased at all), I sat down with Carla to get a behind-the-scenes look at the show.
“Goudafellas is about a police inspector, Inspector O’Toole, who is very loyal to his job but also shit at it”, Carla told me.
Adept at failing upwards, O’Toole ascends to the top of his police precinct and is tasked with busting a notorious Italian crime family from Weehawken, New Jersey. They are headed by Don Provolone — your stereotypical mob boss who is a proud citizen of the “old country” (although he’s never been) and a devout member of the Catholic church (although he’s never been).
So how did Don Provolone, his wife Lorna, and daughter Evangeline make their fortune as a mob family? “Money laundering through their numerous American candy shops in the West End of London”, Carla revealed, “but also there is a darker side to it. A lot of theft from other crime families as well and occasionally murder”.
Inspector O’Toole is overseen by his much more competent boss, the Inspector Constable. In a not so subtle reference to a member of the directorial team deeply dedicated to their own job, his peculiarly modern hamartia is one that will be recognisable to many in the UCL community — an undying commitment to posting about his career exploits on LinkedIn.
“We have made him a LinkedIn warrior”, Carla says, “as all great careerists are”.
The show will feature different scenes which all contribute towards a broader plotline, a format which differs from the unrelated sketches comprising a typical Graters show. The production’s main goal is to “entertain” and “provide a humorous twist on stereotypical mobster family films”.
Goudafellas contains a plot twist, like all good crime dramas, but facilitates some unconventional plotlines as well. Carla explains that the Provolone family strongly support Evangeline’s goal to perform in the gay clubs of New York City despite the cinematic stereotype that mobster families are homophobic and misogynistic.
Looking forward to the show, Carla explained she is most excited to see how the actors characterise their roles. “The real magic and what really makes the show is how the actors take the character descriptions and run with them and make the characters their own”, she said. She is excited about the costume design since a key feature of the show is its temporal ambiguity which the design will reflect.
But why, after the success of the Graters basement bar productions, have they decided to flee the nest to the bright lights of Bloomsbury Studio?
“We believe sketch comedy is a very important part of the UCL arts scene”, Carla contended, “despite the fact that we’re attached to a media society, we form an integral part of the UCL arts community, especially in the fact that we take a show to fringe every year and we sell out our shows a lot of time”. UCL students deserve the opportunity to consume a diverse range of comic performances.
Carla also emphasised the opportunity to bring sketch comedy to a wider audience, given the marketing perks that accompany a Bloomsbury slot. “It’s just a really good place to take a break from [the stress of university]”, Carla said.
When I asked her why people should come and see the show she simply replied, “because we’re funny”. You can purchase tickets to see Goudafellas at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticketing/app/ev/25086/, showing exclusively at Bloomsbury Studio from 2 through 4 February.