Theatre / Reviews
Review: The Trouble with Hitchcock, Alma
The Alma Tavern often acts as a valuable venue for Bristol’s amateur companies to exhibit their wares, try new things and generally have some fun, and locals The 625 Company are currently making the most of the opportunity with this madcap, slapstick production.
Fans of the ‘Master of Suspense’ will recognise the numerous references to his films throughout this hommage, and the production acts less as a respectful hat tip to arguably England’s best appreciated movie director than a furiously dramatic nodding in his direction.
Fathers will relish the excruciatingly Daddish punning throughout, and it’s difficult to imagine any play that can incorporate an assassination attempt by an inflatable seagull as successfully as it is here.
One actor short on the night, the four cast members should be commended for maintaining a sense of engagement and pace as well as covering a range of roles between them. The script heroically parodies the cartoonish characters and laborious plot devices upon which outdated espionage flicks rely, but its best lines were definitely those using wordplay and shameless innuendo. The neatest moment came right at the end with a reverential revelation of Hitchcock’s omnipresence – a clever reference to both his habitual cameos and perpetual cinematic influence.
The Trouble with Hitchcock continues until Saturday, October 8 at the Alma Tavern Theatre. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.almataverntheatre.co.uk/theatre/what-s-on
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