This Play Sucks!, theSpace @ Venue 45
Written by Jacqueline for Theatre & Tonic
Small-time Scottish criminals Cammy and Lee are no strangers to a life of Home Alone-esque hijinks when they’re hired to infiltrate a spooky Scottish mansion in the Highlands. Once they reach Lord Armstrong's stately home (and their guise of being part of the TV license board falls apart), the duo discover that they now find themselves in the home of a dwindling vampire family. Tensions rise as the duo are separated in the winding labyrinth of hallways, and they find themselves delving deep into the lore of the vampires.
Though only an hour long, This Play Sucks! is absolutely packed with content, with very little time to catch your breath in between all of the chaos. The cast have impeccable energy from start to finish, and there is a lot of highly entertaining physical comedy. Having said that, the quick pacing does mean that you need to be paying complete attention as it would be easy for something important to pass by, especially towards the end of the show.
I really enjoyed the use of props throughout the show-from a vampire cat (yes, cat!) that meets an untimely end, to a grenade, to a bedazzled gun. The design of the show does a lot given the limited space, and the story holds its own with no need for elaborate sets and such- though I’d love to see what the team came up with if they were to do a larger-scale production in the future!
This Play Sucks! is a wacky and eccentric vampire adventure. If you’re looking for one of the most chaotic and enjoyable hours of your entire Fringe, this is absolutely the show to see.
This Play Sucks! runs from 19:40-20:40 at theSpace @ Venue 45 until August 23rd
★ ★ ★ ★
