Bristol Hippodrome – until 16 February 2019
Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock
4****
From the creators of The Play That Goes Wrong, Mischief Theatre, The Comedy About a Bank Robbery abseils into the Bristol Hippodrome and steals your breath as you hyperventilate with laughter!!
Written by Johnathan Sayer, Henry Lewis and Henry Sheilds, this show brings jaw dropping staging, hilarious dialogue and outrageous characters! Following the upcoming heist of a diamond worth $500,000, we watch Mitch Ruscitti played by Liam Jeavons, Neil Cooper, played by David Coomber and Caprice Freeboys played by Julia Firth as they manipulate their way into a bank in order to pull off this dangerous act. The complicated and perfectly executed choreography during the show involved slapstick that Charlie Chaplin would have been proud of! The set design was impressively intricate, with a gravity defying scene where the audience is seeing a birds eye view of the bank office from above. This was so powerful to watch, as the audience could not believe their eyes and were just waiting for something to go wrong-as Mischief Theatre has a tendency to do so! This scene gave the show the WOW factor and proved that this production is worth their Olivier Award!
Some parts of the show were a tiny bit over done, but with astounding vocals from Ashley Tucker as Ruth Monaghan, you forgot about it quickly. The real show stealer was Jon Trenchard as Warren Slax. He emulated hilarity and his precision and comedic timing was phenomenal. He really played up to his role, captured the audience in their hearts and then catapulted them into his life without a second look; Trenchard is a truly splendid actor.
This play went very right, the Robbery was successful-for some! Proving that they earn the stage in the Criterion Theatre in London’s West End, Mischief Theatre grace Bristol with their show! Mischief certainly has been managed!