Fans of farce have plenty to look forward to at the Belgrade Theatre this Spring, with Mischief Theatre’s phenomenally successful The Comedy About A Bank Robbery following hot on the heels of the Belgrade’s own home-produced show Octopus Soup!
Running from 5-9 March, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery is the latest offering from the creators of international smash-hit The Play That Goes Wrong and promises just as much side-splitting chaos. Described as “Ocean’s Eleven meets the Marx Brothers,” this explosive comedy caper is currently enjoying its third year in the West End, as well as touring the UK to huge acclaim.
The story begins in Summer 1958, when the Minneapolis City Bank is entrusted with the care of a priceless diamond. Only trouble is, the city bank is so corrupt that even the security guards are on the take! Meanwhile, an escaped convict is dead set on pocketing the gem with the help of his screwball sidekick, trickster girlfriend and the maintenance man.
With mistaken identities, love triangles and hidden agendas, even the most reputable can’t be trusted. In a town where everyone’s a crook, who will end up bagging the jewel?
Producer Kenny Wax said: “We are thrilled that this production follows hard on the heels of the sold out tour of The Play That Goes Wrong. Audiences are in for another hilarious treat and we salute Mischief for having written another wonderfully funny play.”
The massively popular production hits the Belgrade’s Main Stage just a few weeks after the opening of the Theatre’s own fast-paced farce, Octopus Soup!, starring TV favourites Nick Hancock, Paul Bradley and Eric Richard. Running until Sat 16 Feb, Octopus Soup! tells the story of straight-laced insurance man Seymour, who finds himself roped into a dodgy deal with a bungling burglar with bad knees.
But with Seymour’s neurotic actress wife awaiting news on a starring TV role, the burglar’s menacing crime boss just around the corner, and an escaping pet octopus in tow, will the pair manage to get our alive?
Co-writer Jack Milner said: “Rather than doing what you’d normally do with something like this, which is let the tension build up for about 20 minutes or so, we decided to start right in the midst of it all. So it’s just, like – bam! Within three minutes this terrible presentation and attempted burglary have already happened. We start with maximum jeopardy and it keeps going at crazy high stakes from there.”
