Mischief theatre are now infamous amongst the theatre scene as the creators of ‘The play that goes wrong’, ‘Comedy about a bank robbery’ and all round kings & queens of comedy. This year they have teamed up with the Vaudeville Theatre for a 1 year residency in which they will unleash 4 brand new shows upon the West End.
Mische Theatre first hit the fringe scene with ‘Lights Camera Improvise’, made up of LAMDA graduates. After winning awards (including Oliviers), securing sell out shows in London, on tour and Broadway and a BBC series – the original, and founding members of Mischief come together for a brand new sensation.
Groan Ups is tight, hilarious, well constructed, honest and for a play almost the length of Les Miserables (2h 40mins) it soars leaving never a dull moment. The story consists of following a set of individuals through school, from primary, secondary and the dreaded school reunion once in their 30’s. It’s such a treat to what a set of such intelligent and polished performers on stage together and it’s apparent how close they work in general life – its like the FRIENDS on stage, you feel you know them and you want to be part of the group. We meet an array of characters, which everyone in the audience are able to relate to in some way; from spoilt brats, outspoken know-it -alls, and timid try hards.
I have to point our the actress’ Charlie Russell & Nancy Zamit. Playing amongst the three founders of Mischief Henry Lewis, Henry Shields and Jonathan Sayer, they shine and almost dominate (which considering they boys epic career thus far is impressive). Their comic timing, character development and audience control is breath taking. Nancy Zamit who plays Moon, had be crying with laughter at more than one occasion. The group find an honest way to represent the struggles of growing up. They also, and sorry if this is a spoiler, tackle what it was like to be gay growing up through school in the early 2000’s. It really highlights how quickly that’s become out dates, but also shows where we still go wrong today, touching on how some people were suppressed so much they went on to marry against their sexual preference in order to fit in.
In short, this production truly is a must see, I assure you, you won’t be disappointed. The audience had such a huge age range, and everyone was laughing. I am already excited about their next show which comes out later next year.
Reviewed by Benjamin Martin
Photo: Robert Day
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