REVIEW | Police Cops the Musical, Southwark Playhouse (Borough)

★ ★ ★★

Reviewer - Cathie

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review

The premise of Police Cops the Musical is:

Based in the USA, 1985: Rookie Police Cop Jimmy Johnson joined the force to protect and serve ... But now Jimmy's in deep, partnered up with a renegade Police Cop and leaned on by a racist Chief. With guns loaded and safety catches off, Jimmy's on a freewheeling adventure from the mean streets of America to Mexico, where destiny awaits in the form of grizzled ex-Police Cop Juanita Gonzalez. Welcome to the US Eighties.

This musical premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe and is now gracing the boards at the Southwark Playhouse for the next few weeks. Police Cops the Musical is an absolutely brilliant show with a sly humour that is very similar to the Book of Mormon or Police Academy, ridiculously over the top silly, but also a simultaneous love letter to the joys and clichés of 80s movies and culture.

Firstly, congratulations to the brilliant five-strong diverse cast of Zachary Hunt, Nathan Parkinson, Tony Roe, Melinda Orengo, and Natassia Bustamante. They put so much energy, heart and soul into their performances it’s a wonder they can stand afterwards. Each cast member plays at least five characters and I think there are a total of 32 costume changes throughout the show. They dance, flip and roll with a gymnastic grace that I wholeheartedly envy, as well as sing and act with confidence and style. The sheer joy and enthusiasm they have for this show really shines through and makes it even more fun to watch.

The set is quite a basic framing of two doors and a steel background which can either light up or stay dormant. There were numerous props which were used to great effect, although some are used so vigorously that they broke on stage during the performance, which left the audience in stitches.

The plot itself is a zany mishmash of all the beloved 80s action movie tropes, including McClane’s white tank top, the renegade retired cop, the unsolved mystery of a beloved teen sister’s murder and tracking down an evil drug lord. This plot mostly follows that of a traditional 80s movie but they have managed to throw in a few clever twists here and there and create political insightfulness that few shows manage to portray so deftly. There’s a lot of positivity and motivation throughout, reoccurring gags and jokes which balance well, with my favourite song being ‘AmeriCAN’T? More like AmeriCAN’. The songs are really fun and easy to bop your head to although the lyrics aren’t always especially memorable. The jokes and gags are almost constant throughout the show and the audience, myself included, was in absolute giggles throughout the performance.

If you’re in desperate need of some zany humour and 80s nostalgia packaged in a feel-good tribute to classic action movies, then this is 100% the show for you.

Accessibility: This off West End theatre is on one level and open throughout to the large space. There are two wheelchair available seating areas for each performance and the staff are really lovely with supporting audience members with any additional needs. The seats are quite hard and connect in an interlocking format so it’s easy to trip on them if you’re not careful.

Sensibilities: This production takes place in the Large space. The walls and ceiling are painted black so when the lights are switched off to signal the interval and end of the show the space is extremely dark. It’s something to bear in mind if you suffer from any claustrophobia or nyctophobia. It could be disorientating for some as when the lights do come back on quickly, they are very bright.  As well as the darkness mentioned above, the production contains flashing lights, partial nudity, loud noises (including numerous gunshots effects), strong language, depiction of weapons, and audience participation if you’re in the front row (they check first to see if people will be happy to join in).

Police Cops the Musical runs for 115 minutes including a 20 minute interval, and is on at the Southwark Playhouse (Borough) until 14 October 20.