• Advertise
  • Request Review
  • Write for Us
  • Privacy
  • Login

Theatre Bubble

The UK Theatre Network

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Features
  • Spotlight
  • Opinions
  • Interviews
  • Guides
  • Ed Fringe

The Comedy About A Bank Robbery at the Criterion Theatre

April 20, 2018 by Maggie Kelly Leave a Comment

Review of: The Comedy About A Bank Robbery

Reviewed by: Maggie Kelly
Rating:
4
On April 20, 2018
Last modified:April 20, 2018

Summary:

A glorious piece of theatre mixing commerciality with inventiveness and providing a splendid night out.

More Details

The Comedy About A Bank Robbery is just one of those pieces destined to be a sure-fire hit. Fast-paced, witty, and with a sweat quite literally dripping off the actors, it’s currently celebrating it’s second year as part of the West End bunch – and with an extension of the horizon, it seems like it might continue to be a staple of the Piccadilly Circus thesp group for some time yet to come.

As with most corkers, it starts off rather simple – two baddies (crooked bank manager Robin Freeboys, violent crooked crook-crook Mitch) are both interested in a rather large and unfeasibly sparkly diamond.  Add in a sprinkling of lovable but more small-time criminals, many cases of mistaken identity and (of course) the requisite trousers-down-hobbling-around trope and you’ve got yourself a pretty fantastic evening at the theatre.

It’s very much a piece of endurance. A romping bedroom scene that takes up half of Act 1 is a particular highlight, with Samuel Fogell, Holly Sumpton and Matt Hunt displaying nigh-unbelievable comic timing, leading the audience around the complex intricacies of the scene with style and panache. Praise must go to Fogell who, saddled with the rather vapid ‘hero’ character, nonetheless manages to milk what little personality Sam possesses while jumping, rolling and sprinting around the space for all he’s worth.

Joyfully milking every single gag possible, there’s a wonderful feeling of camaraderie between audience and performers – and while this does sometimes let the tension slip, it never gets in the way of the cheek and exuberance that’s a hallmark of the piece. Leonard Cook and Peter McGovern’s wall-based capers in particular are a masterclass in farcical comedy – while absolutely nothing to do with the plot, the timing and talent of both actors means we’re never bored or distracted, and showcases a stunning imagination on the part of the creative team.

Accompanied by some jaw-dropping vocals and incredibly close harmonies, it’s always lovely to see pieces where scene changes are considered a part of the theatrical action, and not just an annoying bit of movement that has to be wedged into the story. The only fault I can pick within Comedy of A Bank Robbery is the speed of the ending – while I won’t ruin it here, a lot more fun could have been had with an unlikely twist, which appears and disappears so quickly that one never feel like it’s had time to be truly appreciated. However, this is very much picking holes in what is a gloriously solid piece of theatre, mixing commerciality with inventiveness and providing a splendid night out.

Avatar

Author: Maggie Kelly

Filed Under: Featured, Review Tagged With: Bank Robbery, Criterion

Join the discussion Cancel reply

NEWS / Living Record Festival of digital arts announces programme

Living Record Festival is a month-long Digital Arts Festival curating and presenting over 40 original pieces from a range of [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Open Bar on A ChristMESS CAROL

Tell us about Open Bar Theatre and also how you came about and how the name came about. OBT: Open Bar [Read More]

NEWS / Ayomide Adegun awarded The Luke Westlake Scholarship 2020

22 year old South Londoner Ayomide Adegun is currently in his 2nd year of the BA Acting course at Royal [Read More]

NEWS / Late Night Staring at High Res Pixels announced

A new play repurposed for online viewing from the creative team behind Scrounger, and the first of the Finborough Theatre’s [Read More]

NEWS / Crimes Against Christmas becomes an audio advent calendar

Typically at this time of year theatre company New Old Friends would have just finished an Autumn tour and be [Read More]

Top Posts & Pages

  • 10 Tips to Help You Prepare for Your Reality TV Auditions
  • Katy Owen: LAMDA Audition (First Round)
  • Writing the Perfect Press Release
  • Katy Owen: How to Apply to Drama Schools*
  • Complicité's A Minute Too Late at the National Theatre
  • How to Applying for Arts Grants and Funding
  • Does Small to Mid Scale Theatre Touring Actually Work?
  • The Duchess of Malfi at the Almeida Theatre
  • Calling all Writers: Contributors wanted for Theatre Bubble
  • Jane Eyre at the National Theatre
  • Avatar

    Maggie Kelly
    Author

  • April 20th, 2018
  • comment iconNo Comments
  • Facebook1TweetLinkedInEmail

    Newsletter

    Enjoyed what you've read? Get even more great content directly to your inbox - Completely Free

    About Theatre Bubble

    Theatre Bubble is the news, review and blogging site created by Blue Pie Media and run by a dedicated team of outstanding editors and writers: we're always looking for new contributors - to find out more click here.

    Contact Us

    News: news@theatrebubble.com
    Reviews: reviews@theatrebubble.com
    Website: webmaster@theatrebubble.com

    Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2021 · Blue Pie Media

    Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

    Email sent!