POLICE COPS: THE MUSICAL - REVIEW

After seeing their production of Badass Be Thy Name at the Vaults this year, which caused me to cry with laughter, Police Cops: The Musical was immediately on my list of shows to see in Edinburgh. Police Cops are a multi-award-winning comedy trio made up of Zachary Hunt, Nathan Parkinson, and Tom Roe.

This musical is a madcap adventure set in the USA in the 80s – Jimmy Johnson has just become a Police Cop and is tasked with investigating a drug lord – travelling to Mexico to do so. The plot is ridiculous, but that’s part of the fun. The show is polished, and that’s no surprise considering it has an off-west end run lined up at Southwark Playhouse next month.

Before the show began a man in the row in front told the person next to him that he has seen the show 3 times. It becomes truly apparent why someone would view this show multiple times as soon as it begins. The jokes come at you so fast it’s impossible to recognise them all, a repeat viewing would probably have you laughing at completely different lines you hadn’t previously recognised. You know it’s hysterical when the cast members crack up during the show.

The choreography is slick and impressive, but the fight choreography is impeccable – this is an incredibly physical show, the performers were all drenched in sweat by the end and it’s no surprise. Their energy is high throughout, they really put their all into this show and it pays off.

The original score, created by the brilliant mind behind Eugenius!, Ben Adams, is filled with 80s influences, and the songs are catchy and varied. This is the first musical I’ve seen at the Fringe this year where I’ve left with a song stuck in my head. I’d very much like a cast recording, please.

Natassia Bustamante steals the show with her powerful vocals and impressive skills – her well-executed aerial is a wonderful surprise. Tom Roe’s semi-improvised bit in the middle proves hilarious, it’s fun to watch the others react on the spot to it. The entire cast performed tirelessly, their stamina extraordinary.

Filled to the bring with stupid, but also incredibly witty humour, and satirical throughout, Police Cops: The Musical is a stupidly silly and brilliant show. I have no critiques, this is an excellent piece of comedy musical theatre. I can’t wait to see the show again in London.

So funny it should be illegal.

Find all our Ed Fringe 2023 content here!

Click here to find tickets and info for all Edinburgh Show!

{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}

A WOMAN WALKS INTO A BANK – REVIEW – THEATRE503
by Tom Carrao
The title of this winner of Theatre 503’s 2023 International Playwriting Award by Roxy Cook may seem like the set-up to a joke, but the narrative that unspools is instead an affectionate, gently barbed and at base quite sobering portrait of three ordinary souls (and one restless feline) adrift in modern Moscow. There is much affable, satirical back-and-forth commentary on the accepted myths & stereotypes of the Russian spirit & soul. Beset by the indignities of age, opportunism, graft, fatigue, the characters orbit one another, doomed to play out their roles in an unjust, predatory and saturnine universe. The play opens … More A WOMAN WALKS INTO A BANK – REVIEW – THEATRE503
PETER PAN GOES WRONG – REVIEW – LYRIC THEATRE
by Amy Rye
Peter Pan Goes Wrong first premiered in London at the Pleasance Theatre in 2013, and earlier this year the show made its Broadway debut. Now the production is back in the West End for the Christmas season. Following on from The Play That Goes Wrong, in this production, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan is staged by the fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society and goes awry, disastrously so. The meta-comedy is filled with slapstick comedy, sometimes the humour may be predictable and silly, but it’s universally funny throughout – there is something for everyone here, and the laughs come thick and fast … More PETER PAN GOES WRONG – REVIEW – LYRIC THEATRE
GHOST STORIES BY CANDLELIGHT – REVIEW – SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE
by George Rennie
Drawing heavily from the classic canon of the British supernatural, High Tide’s trio of contemporary Gothic narratives uses traditional storytelling formats to address contemporary themes. Directed by Elayce Ismail, reverent musical interludes accompany tales of apparitions and nighttime conjurings that speak of women from the East of England. Unfortunately, the effect is less chilling and more lightweight, with conventional structures, predictable plot twists and an over-reliance on external forces to drive narrative shoring up some of the less relatable aspects of the genre. Nicola Werenowska’s The Beach House, perhaps the cleanest of the three tales, tells of a mother and … More GHOST STORIES BY CANDLELIGHT – REVIEW – SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE
CINDERELLA – REVIEW – LYRIC HAMMERSMITH
by Jenny Skuse
Drum roll please…(Cue a literal drum rolling across the stage.) The Lyric pantomime is one of traditions with the return of many well-loved jokes and skits. Costumes and sets are all made at the Lyric itself by Good Teeth, with set pieces being reused year on year. This year Cinderella gets the Hammersmith makeover, with some success. The costuming is fun and vibrant, with the ugly stepsisters’ equine pyjamas and hoop-skirted ball gowns giving all the wrong kinds of extra you need for those characters. Cinderella’s on stage dress transformation is magical and really well-timed. The Dame, Lady Jelly-Bottom’s, outfits … More CINDERELLA – REVIEW – LYRIC HAMMERSMITH
INTERVIEW – LINUS KARP – DIANA: THE UNTOLD AND UNTRUE STORY
by Amy Rye
Amy catches up with Linus Karp ahead of his performance of Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story, at London’s Clapham Grand. Linus and Joseph of Awkward Productions are also the masterminds behind the new show Gwyneth Goes Skiing. Hello Your Majesty/ Candle Entrepreneur, how are you feeling coming back from a hugely successful fringe and triumphant tour across your kingdom, ahead of performing in front of 700 of your loyal subjects, and before (the list never ends!) opening a brand new show, which has recently gone viral? Exhausted, exhilarated and alive. We’ve had the most ridiculous year – I feel … More INTERVIEW – LINUS KARP – DIANA: THE UNTOLD AND UNTRUE STORY