★★★☆☆ | The Comedy About A Bank Robbery
After a daring prison break, Mitch Ruscitti, who is hindered by his affable-if-laughable, partner in crime Neil, plan the ultimate heist. Dragging in his girlfriend Caprice, along with her latest squeeze, Sam, they plot to steal a precious gem from the vaults of the bank owned by Caprice’s father. But these things never go to plan, as mistaken identity, ridiculous disguises, rapid clothing changes, multiple misunderstandings, increasingly large moustaches and a flock of seagulls all combine to frustrate the gang’s increasingly comedic attempts to steal the diamond.
Direct from the Airplane! / Naked Gun school of comedy, whereby the machine gun delivery of gags are relentless (with more hitting the mark than missing it), The Comedy About a Bank Robbery harbours a witty and fast paced script intermingled with farce, slapstick and good, old fashioned physical comedy. Coming across as a hybrid of the classic comedy teams such as Morecombe and Wise and The Three Stooges; and the old school sit-coms, such as Fawlty Towers and Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em , there are plenty of belly laughs to be had as the plans unravel.
Liam Jeavons is great as the muscled thug Mitch, as is Jon Trenchard, as hapless looser Warren Sax, but the cast as a whole bring together a polished, well timed and impeccably rehearsed comedy. But the staging also deserves a mention, with a well-designed set and once scene which uses forced perspective to leave the cast members with a particularly tricky problem as to how to cross a room.
The team behind The Play That Goes Wrong delivers another madcap night at the theatre, and if you enjoyed One Man, Two Guvnors or The Thirty-Nine Steps, then this stupid, screwball comedy will be right up your street.
The Comedy About a Bank Robbery is currently at Sheffield Theatres and then rounding off its national tour, whilst The Comedy About A Bank Robbery and The Play That Goes Wrong continue in the West End.
