[AD – PR invite*]
★★★★
The hilarious Police Cops have revived their 2017 Fringe sell-out hit ‘Police Cops in Space’ for a few weeks this summer, returning to the show for the first time in years, following on from the success of their musical in both Edinburgh and London. The comedy company is performing the show at Underbelly Festival Cavendish Square in the Spiegeltent for a couple of weeks, located just footsteps from Oxford Circus underground station. In revisiting the production they are transporting the 80s-inspired police cop adventures to space and beyond. Ahead of press night, I could not wait to see the team in action again, having given the musical 5 stars in my review at Southwark Playhouse last year.
Synopsis
In a parody tribute to science fiction B-movies, the comedy features some familiar characters, but this time, the events are happening far away from earth in space. It focuses on Sammy Johnson: the son of ‘the best damn police cop ever’ Jimmy Johnson. Sammy wants to avenge his father’s killer, who is on a mission to eradicate police cops from the galaxy. Featuring many characters, both human and robot, the show is a whirlwind intergalactic adventure, full of popular film references, not limited to Back to the Future, The Terminator and more.
Physical comedy
The madcap comedy style of Police Cops is what makes their shows stand out within the world of fringe theatre and this production provides plenty of opportunity for Zachary Hunt, Nathan Parkinson and Tom Roe to excel at what they do best: making audiences laugh with their cinematic-inspired physical comedy. There are lots of slow motion sequences that fans of the musical will know and love, which have been amplified by some vibrant lighting effects, as well as various other action scenes. The Spiegeltent stage is intimate and it is impressive how the team have managed to retain the physicality of their comedy style in a smaller performance space.
Memorable dialogue
Despite usually being in awe of the physical comedy, it was the dialogue that made ‘Police Cops in Space’ so enjoyable to watch. The show is extremely fast-paced and full of outrageous humour that won’t appeal to everyone, but even in the more crude moments, there is still some humility to the characters. The police characters really are hero figures after all!
There was one moment in particular where central London was experiencing a really loud thunderstorm and Tom Roe just took this all in their stride, making a joke about the timing of the weather. It is being able to ad lib and think on their feet that makes them such an exceptional comedy troupe to watch, with the group acknowledging their surroundings and the audience reception as they perform.
Staging for Underbelly
The show would have greater impact with more raised seating, with the majority one-level format holding the material back from being fully visible by everyone in attendance. The thing about Police Cops is their shows are always full of amusing details, specifically with the props, and audiences cannot see the lower part of the stage from the flat stalls currently. That being said, the energy and joy of the group is noticeable from wherever you are sitting and as somebody who adores their work, this only had a marginal impact on my overall experience. If anything it made me focus more on the witty dialogue, which was a standout of the show.
Final thoughts
Whilst the musical remains my favourite production of the company’s, there is no denying that ‘Police Cops in Space’ is utterly hilarious and the performers are so naturally funny. You can catch the trio in action for two weeks of the Underbelly Festival in London, from now until Sunday 4th August and also from Wednesday 14th – Sunday 18th August. I definitely recommend going to see the show, as the Police Cops team certainly know how to produce a zany, brilliantly-timed comedy. Following on from this summer run at Underbelly, it will be exciting to hear what they work on next.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
*My ticket for ‘Police Cops in Space’ was gifted in exchange for an unbiased review.
Comments