Review: The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much, Loco Klub – ‘a high octane production that pushes boundaries to the limit’

No stage props. No state of the art surround sound system that fills the theatre with schmaltzy music. Just a highly polished mercurial theatre collective casting its magic with an unbridled energy, and the result certainly does not disappoint.

Voloz Collective showcased their showstopper theatre production for one night only at the Loco Klub, before continuing their UK wide tour.

This dynamic quartet was formed by Olivia Zerphy, Paul Lofferon, Emily Wheatman and Sam Rayner, while they were still students at the highly-acclaimed theatre school, L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris.

This Anglo-American-French cohort won multiple accolades for their bold and brilliant productions which featured at theatres on both sides of the Atlantic such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Martel Theatre in New York.

They adopt a collegial approach for their content creation, where all members are involved in every aspect of the production: the writing, the acting and the direction.

Production shots from The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much – photo: courtesy of Voloz Collective

The action revolves around a Frenchman in New York, Roger Clement. The year is 1963. Clement’s daily routine is as regimented and predictable as a French ormolu mantel clock. But the status quo is shattered when he finds himself in the middle of an international conspiracy involving the Russian Mafia.

The Cold War is at its height where both the United States and the Soviet Union and are flexing their muscle for global domination. The space is race is on full swing. Rumour has it that the enemies are attempting to assassinate the President. No one is to be trusted.

Narrow escapes, double-crossings and near-impossible storylines take our protagonist to the unforgiving terrains of Siberian tundra, cruise-liners, salons in Wild West and the not-so dangerous New York coffee shops.

The big question is whether Monsieur Clement can thwart the plot to assassinate the President and save the civilisation from descending into chaos and anarchy and worse, the nuclear Armageddon?

Whether it is the cold winds in the Siberian tundra, the sound of a coffee machine or riding on a horseback, the cast create new worlds with aplomb. The energy and expression they bring to the stage is nothing short of extraordinary.

Photo: courtesy of Voloz Collective

This production strips back the theatre to its bare elements, leaving no room for error; no sumptuous set to hide behind. The choreography is polished like freshly burnished gold.

The versatile music director Fredrick Waxman also deserves a mention, creating the apt ambience with a dazzling virtuosity on the keyboards, guitar, drums and harmonica. The incidental music is created on the spot as the action unfolds.

As a venue, the crypt-like setting of former railways workers’ social club, the Loco Klub, adds an extra layer intimacy to the unfolding narrative.

How to sum it up? Imagine the Maltese Falcon meeting Norman Wisdom and then walking into a Vaudeville theatre: The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much is a curious concoction of film noir, traditional whodunnit idiom in the vein of Midsomer Murders and slapstick that never fails to generate peals of laughter from the audience.

Photo: courtesy of Voloz Collective

Voloz Collective: The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much is at The Mission Theatre, Bath on February 10-11, and then touring through February. For more information and tickets, visit www.volozcollective.com.

Main image: Voloz Collective

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