Reservoir Knobs
★★★☆☆ Unlawfully funny
The Space On The Mile (Venue 39): Mon 15 – Fri 19 Aug 2022
Review by Yvonne Paterson
Playing at The Space On The Mile for a short run, Punch Monkey Theatre’s Reservoir Knobs is a comical play based on a real story that proves that life can sometimes be more ludicrous than fiction.
Director Ben Ramsey’s script sees a group of four inept criminals regroup at a warehouse, trying to figure out what to do next after an attempted robbery doesn’t go to plan.
Penguin, Pig, Walrus and Stallion. Pic: Reservoir Knobs
In fact it has gone way beyond “not to plan” – considering a group member is missing, a member of the group is possibly missing his member (resulting in way more blood than any would like to tackle) and, adding insult to injury, an extremely pitiful loot.
Stallion, Walrus, Pig and Penguin (Ramsey, Alistair Maxwell, Blair Young and Chris McCall) are the unfortunate characters to find themselves in this predicament. Each actor brings a great energy to the performance, there are moments where there is lack of conviction and there is a bit of temptation to play the comedy.
However the cast do capture the absurd situation extremely well. Each contributing to their own comical narrative, which ensures that the play moves at a good pace and that you find yourself willing them on to find a way through the erroneous situation.
genuinely funny
A large part of this is down to the very clever script which gives the actors lots to work with. It is genuinely funny, full of wit and cheeky digs, but still offering layers to the characters. As the story unfolds it’s not just the masks that are discarded but the hard man images too, revealing why they have found themselves turning to crime.
Maintaining a sense of humour the script captures the hardships that many face: parents trying to provide more than they can afford, the loss of a job, drugs or the realisation it’s too late to fulfil a promise to a loved one to make life exciting.
With brilliant writing and a cast that uses it to great effect, Reservoir Knobs conveys the message that sometimes people aren’t bad, they just make bad choices.
Running time 50mins (No interval)
theSpace on the Mile (Space 2), 80 High St, EH1 1TH (Venue 39)
Monday 15 – Friday 19 August 2022
Daily: 18:45.
Information and tickets: Book here.
Company Facebook: @Punch-Monkey-Theatre-102427955681179
Instagram: @punchmonkeytheatre2022
Twitter: TheatrePunch
Chris McCall, Blair Young, Alistair Maxwell and Ben Ramsey. Pic: Reservoir Knobs
ENDS
