The Comedy About a Bank Robbery
| The Comedy About a Bank Robbery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by |
Henry Lewis Jonathan Sayer Henry Shields |
| Characters |
Mitch Ruscitti Mr. Robin Freeboys Warren Slax Ruth Monaghan Sam Monaghan Caprice Freeboys Cooper Randall Everyone Else |
| Date premiered | 21 April 2016 |
| Place premiered | Criterion Theatre |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | 1958, Minneapolis |
The Comedy About a Bank Robbery is a comedy play written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields of Mischief Theatre.
The play premiered at the Criterion Theatre in London's West End on 31 March 2016, with an official opening night on 21 April 2016, marking the third production by Mischief Theatre to open in the West End following The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong (with all three running simultaneously during the Christmas 2016 season).
Production history
London
On 3 December 2015, it was announced the play would begin previews at the West End's Criterion Theatre on 31 March 2016,[1] with its official opening night on 21 April 2016.[2] The play is directed by Mark Bell, with design by David Farley and costume design by Roberto Surace.[3] The play received a nomination for Best New Comedy at the 2017 Olivier Awards.
French adaptation
A French adaptation of the play titled Le Gros Diamant du Prince Ludwig (translated as The Big Diamond of Prince Ludwig) opened at Theatre du Gymnase in Paris from 15 June to 31 August 2017. The adaptation was translated by Miren Pradier and Gwen Aduh (who also directed) and won the Molière Award for Best Comedy 2018. The play also opened at the Théâtre Le Palace in Paris from 19 July 2018.
UK tour
The play began a UK tour from August 2018 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Dates are currently scheduled until May 2019.
Principal roles and original cast
| Character | Original West End cast | 2018 UK tour |
|---|---|---|
| Mitch Ruscitti | Henry Shields | Liam Jeavons |
| Mr. Robin Freeboys | Henry Lewis | Damian Lynch |
| Warren Slax | Jonathan Sayer | Jon Trenchard |
| Ruth Monaghan | Nancy Zamit | Yolanda Ovide |
| Sam Monaghan | Dave Hearn | Seán Carey |
| Caprice Freeboys | Charlie Russell | Julia Frith |
| Cooper | Greg Tannahill | David Coomber |
| Randall | Jeremy Lloyd | Killian Macardle |
| Everyone Else | Chris Leask | George Hannigan |
Reviews
The show received five star reviews from many leading critics including The Telegraph, The Times, Radio Times, Sunday Telegraph and WhatsOnStage. Dominic Cavendish from The Telegraph said[4] "Quite simply, this is the funniest show in the West End", "You keep thinking this is as good as it gets - then it gets better". The Times declared the production "Fast and fabulous comedy caper is a joyful night out."
References
- ↑ "The Comedy About a Bank Robbery begins in March". broadwayworld.com. Broadway World. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ↑ "Performance Dates". thecomedyaboutabankrobbery.com. The Comedy About a Bank Robbery. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- ↑ "Play That Goes Wrong team launches new West End show". thestage.co.uk. The Stage. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/quite-simply-this-is-the-funniest-show-in-the-west-end/