SPY MOVIE : THE PLAY!
A gloriously comic melange of slapstick, puns, innuendo and parody, all rolled into one super-evil package.
Norwich Theatre
There is nothing new about spy parodies – they have been delivered, thick and fast, for almost as long as the James Bond movies themselves. The original ‘Casino Royale‘, a Bond comedy starring Peter Sellers, was released in 1967, the very same year that Sean Connery played Bond for the fifth time in ‘You Only Live Twice‘. Then came Basildon Bond, Austin Powers, and Johnny English, each taking their inspiration from Ian Fleming's fictional character. However, none of these made me laugh out loud as much as 'Spy Movie – The Play!' did at Norwich Theatre Playhouse last night.
It was the first performance for a new, extended version of Matthew Howell and Jack Michael Stacey’s show that ran at Edinburgh Fringe Festival last Summer. Directed by Katie-Ann McDonough, 'Spy Movie – The Play' is a two-act sales pitch to its audience, an opportunity for A. Cabbage Productions (other brassica-based film producers are available) to raise, from us, the funds needed to finance their very own Hollywood spy blockbuster. Using a simple set, an innovative array of props, and a dedicated cast of four - The Writer, (Katy Daghorn), The Actress (Jo Hartland), The Producer (Matthew Howell), and The Stuntman (Jamie Watterson), A. Cabbage sets out to sell us the story of MI6 secret agent Jayne Blonde and spy writer Ian Flemish, as they attempt to recover the stolen manuscript of his latest Dick Hardwood novel, ’Definitely Time To Die Again’.
And the jokes fly thick and fast as Howell and Co. bring to us their unique vision for a brand new Spy Movie, and perform it on stage for us. Each actor takes on multiple roles – there is superspy Jane Blonde and writer Ian Flemish; we get to meet the evil Mr Lovely and his henchman Mr Jubbly on a luxury island resort that also doubles as secret headquarters for EVIW (Every Villain In the World). They cross paths with Randy Lust (a rogue CIA double agent), and liaise with MI6 boss Mmmm back in London. And, as the sets wobble, and the props get more and more bizarre, the gags fly so fast that we are sometimes in danger of missing them. It is a gloriously comic melange of slapstick, puns, innuendo and parody, all rolled into one super-evil package.
The result is a comedy that sends itself up almost as much as it does the entire secret agent genre. The audacity of recreating a train journey, a first-class flight, and a helicopter transfer to Mr Lovely‘s lovely island resort on such a small stage, as well as an earlier downhill ski chase and a climactic bomb disposal in outer space, is all accomplished with tongues firmly in cheeks, but also with expert timing, plenty of physical energy and some cracking slapstick routines. The running time (including a short interval) is just short of two hours, but the time simply flew by, as the world held its breath, and Jane Blonde and Ian Flemish battled to prevent the apocalyptic release of Deadly World Virus No 4. You will leave shaken, but not stirred, and will be left reaching for your imaginary wallets to finance A. Cabbage’s next cinematic blockbuster.
'Spy Movie – The Play!' Is a co-production between Norwich Theatre and A Cabbage, and sets off on its 12 theatre UK tour at Hertford Beam theatre on May 3rd. This is, without doubt, The Greatest Spy Movie Never Made.
