Review: THE COMEDY ABOUT A BANK ROBBERY, Theatre Royal, Glasgow

Set in 1958, Mischief Theatre's The Comedy About A Bank Robbery takes place in Minneapolis. A pair of hapless criminals decide to rob the city bank of a half a million dollar diamond.

The play gets off to a pretty slow start as the characters in the bank are established. There's some amusing word play and miscommunication but scenes feel drawn out and start to grate. The musical interludes between scene changes are a little surreal and feel unnecessary.

When it's good- it's really good. One particular scene in Caprice's apartment is a master class in physical comedy with impeccable timing. Another highlight is a perspective scene where the actors continue the piece at a 90 degree angle to the stage. Although it must be precisely timed to the nanosecond, the slapstick comedy feels very off the cuff and improvised.

The Comedy About A Bank Robbery is wildly unpredictable and side-splitting in places although it did drag a little in other parts. This production is more like a traditional farce than the 'Goes Wrong' pieces by Mischief Theatre but it makes for an enjoyable way to spend an evening.

The Comedy About A Bank Robbery is on tour around the UK.

Photo credit: Robert Day

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