Following on the back of their phenomenal successes The Play
that Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Mischief Theatre Company will be
taking their current West End smash, A Comedy About a Bank Robbery on tour
later this year. Grabbing the
opportunity to see it at the beautiful Criterion Theatre before it heads out round
the UK, we were treated to one of the funniest plays on stage, ever.
More of a story than the madcap parodies their previous
productions have been, Bank Robbery is set in 50’s Minneapolis and charts the
exploits of a wannabee crime ‘lord’ and his attempt to steal a priceless
diamond from the local bank. Aided by the
bank manager’s daughter, a petty pick pocket and some rogue prison guards and chased
by an FBI agent with dubious intent and the bank secretary, the story twists
and turns at such a pace that you need the interval just to grab a breath and
stop your head from spinning. Directed by
original Mischief member Nancy Zamit (who fans will remember from the previous
productions) and Mark Bell (whose credit listings deserve their own page in the
programme) Bank Robbery is a modern day classic, laugh out loud and don’t care who
hears you evening of unashamed fun.
The puns come so fast, right from the off, that it takes a
few minutes just to get your brain into gear to keep up but once you’re up to
speed it’s hold on tight for a rollercoaster ride. Les Dawson used to pretend
he was a terrible piano player but he was able to make it funny because he was
actually a brilliant pianist; this cast
make the apparent tomfoolery look effortlessly hilarious because they too are masters
in their craft. Familiar faces of Chris
Leask (hilariously cast as Everybody Else), Jenna Augen (the sassy Ruth
Monaghan) and Leonard Cook (Robin Freeboys) are joined by West debutantes brilliant
Samson Ajewole (Neil Cooper), livewire Sam Fogell (Sam Monaghan) and the
wonderful Holly Sumpton (Caprice Freeboys) and show that the draw of Mischief
Theatre is not just limited to the audience.
Scene changes are wonderfully segue wayed with the cast singing
50’s doo wop whilst the action scenes are brilliantly choreographed using
cartoon-like inventiveness as a throw back to silent movies.
The writing is super slick – the 2 Henrys and a Jonathan are
masters at multi-layered comedy blending words, actions and the subtlest of
entendres – for Bank Robbery they have produced a blend of Whitehall farce
coupled with Carry On and all wrapped up in Mischief’s impeccable attention to
detail. The word plays are writ large
and proud, you can see most of them coming but they land so perfectly that you’re
still amazed by the simple brilliance. The
set is a shining example of ingenuity and seamlessly supports the physical
comedy whilst providing the frame in which the magic happens; you are lulled
into a false sense of familiarity and then suddenly what appeared to be an
office becomes a vault, an air duct, a bed frame, a wardrobe.
It is not often that a show delivers through every single
second of the performance but with Bank Robbery there isn’t a moment across the
2 hours in which the pace slips, the humour eases or the tears stop rolling . A special mention too for the programme – this
is one of the best companions to a show, packed full of the same humour
and has a wonderfully witty timeline of the evolution of Mischief Theatre.
All in all, this show has delighted West End theatregoers
for the past 2 years and very soon it will share the love around the UK – it WILL
sell out so grab your tickets now, strap up your sides and take a deep breath.
***** and an extra *
The Comedy about a Bank Robbery is on tour – check out the
dates and tickets here:
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