The year’s 1945, and Mafia boss Don Lambrini is headed for New York City…until he accidentally boards a cruise to Blackpool instead. Imagine your classic mafia movie packed with revenge, murder and violence, and then relocate it to the North of England with a villain named Fray Bentos. It’s the kind of thing so ridiculous it could only ever be achieved in fringe theatre, but could Tinned Laughter’s gangster comedy land with a bang?
Created by comedy group Tinned Laughter, The Bang Gang is a parodic homage to the genre, first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe (where it was called ‘Bang Gang’, with the new name arriving due to so-called ‘taste purposes’). Now performing a short run at Riverside Studios, the fringe feel of the show is maintained perfectly, with a minimal set, multi-rolling cast of three, and a pacey sixty minute runtime.
Written by Hughie Shepherd-Cross, the premise is ideal for a play of this style. By following tropes the audience is familiar with, it allows the story to be simple yet developed, with proper room for the comedy to become the main star of the show. Shepherd-Cross’ characters are caricatures in themselves, ticking off every possibility on the line between straight-faced and hammed-up. I actually found myself becoming invested in the storyline, which is rare for a comedy as insane as this. That said, it is impossible to avoid the jokes, which form the bulk of the script. These are frequent and clever, although this does sometimes lead to an over-concentration of ‘smart humour’ that the cast struggle to deliver with the appropriate timing- many jokes take a beat to process, but are already a thing of the past once you are ready to laugh. The largest responses therefore come when the pace is allowed to slow down a bit, with one erotic pie-based scene gaining some of the biggest laughs, but these moments are disappointingly rare.
Ranging from punny double-meanings to utterly ridiculous concepts, Shepherd-Cross clearly has a flair for jokes, with many lines that wouldn’t feel out of place in a stand-up set. Sometimes this doesn’t necessarily work for the medium of theatre, however, with greater utilisation of situational comedy needed to bring proper belly laughs. Attempts to diversify the genre slightly would also not go amiss, with the show calling out for one standout scene involving more physical comedy or something even more madcap (the production teases a musical number, but this never comes into fruition, leaving something to be desired in terms of variety). This constant persistence to stay within a mould is what stops the production from ever reaching ‘the peak of the laughter’. For each joke the audience find funny, there are several that don’t land, meaning laughs never accumulate into something uproarious. This lack of commitment to the absurdity the premise demands means the show garners the occasional chuckle rather than uncontrollable hysterics.
Furthermore, while the story does work well, the potential from the premise does suggest that Shepherd-Cross has played it too safe. The majority of the time, the location is inconsequential to the action and the plot plays out exactly how any gangster story could. Although touched on in an opening montage, we see very little of Don Lambrini’s early years as he rises to power in Blackpool, which would surely have huge comic potential. It feels more like a narrative added in to give the show a USP, as opposed to one with any genuine impact, which is disappointing when the audience are shown glimpses of what could have been achieved if this route was taken. The occasional reference to Northern England or Mr Whippys is not enough to supplement this thirst for the ‘fish out of water’ comedic potential.
Auguste Voulton’s direction melds seamlessly with the writing, lending a smooth flow to this production’s bouncing nature, with some good utilisation of cut-scenes and narration to help guide us through. However, the direction sits just in between being so silly it’s funny, and so deadpan it’s ironic, meaning it doesn’t actually add much in terms of humour nor does it let the jokes truly shine. A large projector at the back of the stage helps add depth and some humorous details, but ultimately subtracts from the energy of the piece when covering up overly long scene transitions. Where this production falls most flat is in its connection to the audience- a more dynamic opening scene would help get them on side early on, and maintaining this energy throughout would do wonders for the overall feel of the evening.
Bringing this show to life is a wonderfully talented cast of three, who take on numerous exaggerated personas throughout the evening. Fabian Bevan brings a Leonardo DiCaprio-esque charisma to the role of Jack, channeling his inner gangster to the core. As gang leader Al, Hannah Johnson plays buffoonery to just the right extent, fully leaning into her character’s stupidity to land each comic beat. In various roles, Fred Trenholme displays a brilliant versatility and stage presence, even managing to evoke some sympathy for his minor characters- his ridiculous performance as the Grim Reaper has a physicality and meekness that many would struggle to pull off, creating some of my stand-out moments. That said, the cast do sometimes play it too straight to maximise the laughs, and there needs to be some more variety in the character tropes explored to stop it veering into one-note territory.
The Bang Gang successfully takes a more madcap look at the traditional tropes of a gangster film, but it fails to succeed in the extremely exaggerated humour necessary for a parody. The jokes are smart and plentiful, but a failure to get the audience on side means that many don’t land how they should. The simple story creates a memorable journey, but the writing lacks the variety required to maintain high energy levels for sixty minutes. It’s an unfulfilling albeit enjoyable night out, but not one that demonstrates laughter’s killer power.
AloJapan.com