Mayflower Theatre Southampton – until 6th April 2019.
Reviewed by Leanne Caplis
5*****
Mischief Theatre have excelled once again with their UK tour The Comedy About a Bank Robbery. Starting its tour in Aug 18 it will continue through Eastbourne, Poole, Dublin, Edinburgh, Sheffield and finally Liverpool where the tour will come to an end at the Empire Theatre on 08 Jun 19.
Transfixed from the very start watch as escaped prisoners along with crooked cops, con-artist girlfriends and what appears to be law abiding people hatch a plan to rob the bank of its precious diamond.
With no let up from start to end this show is full of fast paced slap stick comedy with one-liners that will leave you with tears rolling down your face. The whole cast show remarkable energy and talent as they throw themselves around the stage and deliver some extremely funny scenes; much to the delight of the audience.
Credit must go to the writers (Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields) for this production. It is first class comedy that puts all other comedy shows I have seen in the shadows. The whole production/design crew also deserve a special mention as the staging and props make this show the award-winning success it is. There are two scenes that stand out for me; one is the bedroom scene where the pull-down bed and a very energetic Seán Carey (Sam Monaghan) had me in stiches and I won’t give too much away about the other – it’s so off the wall you need to see it for yourself!
Whilst difficult to pick a stand out star, due to all cast members being superb, my favourite was Warren Slax (Jon Trenchard). He plays the little dweeby old man perfectly! He had members of the audience cooing over him and feeling sorry for him in parts, particularly during the hilarious scene where Robin Freeboys (Damian Lynch) continually beats Slax with various items from the bank. Julia Frith who played the part of Caprice Freeboys should also be mentioned as her stage presence is outstanding and whilst this was her professional debut I am sure we will see much more of her on stages all over the country.
I cannot say it enough you MUST go and see this show. With my belly aching from laughing I am already looking into what other delights the Mischief Theatre have in store as I just can’t get enough of them. This is by far the best show I have EVER seen and I could watch it a million times over and not get bored. Don’t delay, book today!