The Welcome Inn, Salford – 13 February 2020
Reviewed by Angelos Spantideas
3***
The Last Quiz Night on Earth is a combination of drama with a pub quiz, created by Alison Carr, which attempts to blend the relaxed and joyful atmosphere of a pub quiz, with the intensity and entertainment of live theatre.
The performance is based on the premise that the world is coming to an end, as easily understood by the title, but instead of giving up the owner of the pub Kathy, played by Meriel Scholfield, and her employee Rav, played by Shaban Dar, decide to do one last time what they know how to do best, host a pub quiz.
The night rolls with the audience being part of the performance, as the pub’s visitors who between the different sections of the quiz get to see the story unfold. Kathy’s brother Bobby, played by Chris Jack, and Rav’s highschool sweetheart Fran, played by Amy Drake, join the show to spice things up and provide a small backstory to the characters of Kathy and Rav.
The Last Quiz Night on Earth provides an alternative opportunity for a pub quiz, and the pub as a venue makes it feel as authentic, as accessible to all people. The actors succeed to embody their roles vividly, with Kathy’s passion for running a pub and Rav’s desire to entertain being apparent from the beginning.
However, even though comedy nuggets create a cheerful atmosphere throughout the night, the dramatic part of the night seems to lack depth, with the seriousness of the script seeming a bit disjointed from the pub quiz atmosphere. The small acting parts of the show do not provide enough opportunities for character development to support that, while the attempt to touch on sexuality and queerness seeming unnecessary and not justified.
The most fitting portrayal of the night seems to be that of Fran who is hysterical, funny and all around an interesting character. Amy Drake does a good job exaggerating the features of her character amplifying her dramatic persona, which is what one would expect of people who decided to spend their last day on earth participating in a pub quiz.