Ludwig: Unfinished Business

Ludwig is a one-man music-comedy biography of Beethoven, combining dramatic monologue, stand-up and piano. It is a nice idea, and there are some amusing quips and classical-music-nerd in-jokes, but the comedy becomes remarkably dull.

Much of the script consists of rambling one-liners, giving the piece a surface reading of Beethoven rather than any particular insight into his character or life. The musical support is interesting, but the character itself is built out of poor stereotypes.

The performer has the basic comic machinery, but the writing does not give him much to work with. What begins as a potentially lively way into Beethoven ends up feeling more like parody than biography.

A nice idea, but not enough of a show around it.

Ludwig: Unfinished Business by Guy Masterson – TTI presents Mike Hatchard. Credit Peter Mould.