Ooga Chaka, written by Ethan Zuchkan, directed by Steven Hao and presented by Pucker’s at the Fringe might be described as a screwball comedy; if balls or screws had been available in the stone age. It’s fast paced and funny and surprisingly affecting.

It’s set sometime in the distant (and largely imaginary) past. Bungu and Kiki are assistants to the commercially successful and rich cave painter Rock who has built his reputation on paintings of the legendary mammoth hunter Groog who once saved the village from starvation. Rock is sucking the creativity and life out of the pair when they realise they could just act out the story instead of painting it. And thus theatre is invented. But the idyll doesn’t last for long. When Rock buys into the project, commercialism and egos trump art and Kiki is increasingly isolated. They go through a messy break up. Kiki tries tom launch a solo career and then there’s a reconciliation based on a new play about pterodactyls, despite Rock’s best efforts to keep them broken up. Finally Groog appears to set the record straight. He’s no hero but by then it’s not relevant and reconciled Bungu and Kiki (plus William Shakespeare) set off to launch their next great project.

It’s utterly goofy. It’s chock full of zingy one-liners poking fun at most aspects of contemporary theatre and the physical acting is really good. There are also some clever sight jokes and very effective sound (Abbey Kruse) and lighting (Mathilda Kane). I guess it does what I want a Fringe comedy to do. It sets up a recognisable target and ruthlessly mocks it with pace and humour without taking itself too seriously

There are some very winning performances. I especially liked Rachel Cucheron’s honest and very sympa Kiki but there’s also excellent work from Ben Yoganathan as Bungu, especially as an egotistic and theory driven director post the Rock takeover. Cole Durnford plays Rock’s even more downtrodden minion, Horp, with splendid physicality and Nick Eddie is totally convincing as the sardonic and creepy Rock. The ensemble is rounded out by Ben Kopp, Margot Greve and Ruaridh MacDonald who play everything from villagers to mammoths to Groog and his parents,

Ooga Chaka plays in the Michael Young Theatre at Soulpepper until July 11th.

Photo credits: Allison McKenzie.