REVIEW - STOP!... You're Killing Me, July Tour - *****
- theatrereviews
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
Quick-fire comedy, of the kind that is ripe in spoofs Airplane!, The Naked Gun and also in the majority of Mel Brooks’ films, is often looked down upon, particularly within an industry where comedies struggle to score at the top awards ceremonies. When performed to the hilt, and the hit-rate of the gags is so staggeringly high, it’s impossible not only to appreciate it as a craft, but also to appreciate that, at the end of the day, we often seek out pure, non-challenging entertainment.
At the sell-out, opening night for Hambledon Productions’ ‘STOP!... You’re Killing Me’ yesterday, this stylised brand of comedy was totally infectious, further bolstered by the idea of seeing it performed live; it plays like a double-entendre spiced Looney Tunes cartoon, taking pot-shots at Humphrey Bogart (“As Bogart said when looking that baby goat in the face…” being one of my favourite quotes), Columbo, The Pink Panther and Film Noir. It could have been darker, it could even have afforded to let up on the Tommy-Gun-like approach to gags at times, but ultimately, we were here for laughs and a great time, and this filmic, broad comedy, littered with excellent nuances, more than delivered.
You don’t need to be an expert on Film Noir; I went to this show with my 15-year old nephew (who loved it), and, when I started dropping references about Peter Lorre, Double Indemnity and Lauren Bacall during the interval, understandably, I got a blank face in return. That’s hardly surprising - the golden-age of Film Noir was over 70 years ago. But despite classic representations of the femme fatale, the maniacal bad guy, the shady henchman with his jacket collar pulled up to mask his identity, and the booze-weary, cigarette-smoking trench-coat clad inspector (all heralding from Hollywood classics such as The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon, for example), there is something undeniably British coursing through it. There’s more than a touch of ‘Carry On’ about the script, with an abundance of jokes and neatly performed slapstick that would not look out of place in the best panto. There are many well-worn wisecracks from which we have every right to groan at from our very seats, but, performed by a cast of four masters at this shape-shifting, character-driven, po-faced style of deadpan comedy, we welcome these chestnuts with open arms. Last night, any jokes we’d heard before, or saw a mile coming, we treated like old friends. That, too, I’d argue is a very British trait.
Also, the story is surprisingly engaging. Do we ultimately care if our anti-hero detective solves the case of the dead horse bookie and catches the murderer? Perhaps/perhaps not, but it’s nice that the whole thing comes to a very satisfying, and suitably Film-Noir-esque conclusion. There are plenty of plot twists and dead ends, and John Hewer’s script never trades off on jokes for the sake of the story, or vice versa. We’ve all seen well-meaning comedies that all of a sudden pull the plug on the comedy, to get a particular point across or give us a chunk of heavy plot. These moments can be handled very well (in sitcoms such as Only Fools and Horses or a string of Ayckbourn comedies, for example) and indeed, when the comedy is brought back, it bounces back bigger and brighter. ‘STOP!...’, on the other hand, is unapologetically relentless in its laughter-making. It's the kind of production that warrants multiple viewings to appreciate every joke that's been crowbarred into it.
Hewer also tackles the lead role. This isn’t a direct pastiche of Bogie, or Clouseau, or Columbo, but rather a clever rendering of all of these people and their characters. Closely associated with playing Tommy Cooper (and despite the fact that many of the jokes would not look out of place in Cooper’s act) Hewer’s downbeat P. I. is a brilliant realisation. Hewer never cracks a smile, unlike his performance as the misfiring magician, who often burst out into laughter at his own material. Natalie Clark, no stranger herself to playing iconic comedy characters (see our The Vicar of Dibley review), plays at least half a dozen eccentrics (her tongue-in-cheek mockery of The Ham Actor as the lab assistant was a definite highlight) and James Burgess, who performed recently in Riverhead Rep’s Aladdin, frequently stole the scene, without supposedly “doing anything”. Both performers are expert at multirole, imperative for this production to appear slick. Rounding off the cast is Sarah Chessie, who’s smouldering Rowetta Summers is arguably the most difficult role. Chessie, with a tall stature and a classic look, gives an intensely surreal performance, saving the broader strokes to her melee of supporting roles (we enjoyed her Scottish policeman especially – surely a first for a Film Noir?)
The production is embarking on a small-scale local tour, with a set design by Ian Hewer and Kirsty Sharman that is cleverly and imaginatively integrated into the story. Lighting, I imagine, is suitably modest to be easily recreated across the varying venues lined up. The sound design, by Christopher Peters, on the other hand, is very intricate, giving a moody resonance to Hewer’s intermittent narration.
If you want a show that’ll take you out of yourself, out of the world writ large, and into a world of unmitigated, tear-rolling laughter, then STOP!... It’s the funniest show of 2025, and well worthy of the standing ovation.
STOP!... You're Killing Me is touring to Sleaford, Wickenby, Gainsborough, Sutton-on-Sea, Grimsby, Caistor, Skegness, Lincoln, Bawtry, Sheffield and Alford, throughout July.
Book your tickets via the link below.
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