Written and performed by: Zachary Hunt, Nathan Parkinson and Tom Roe
The three members of all-dancing, all-singing comedy troupe Police Cops take us into outer space for their latest action blockbuster parody. Combining storylines lovingly purloined from the Star Warses, Blade Runners and cop buddy bromances we know and love, Police Cops in Space is a high octane celebration of physical comedy and the ridiculousness of the action film genre. If it were simply parody it would make for a funny hour, but there’s far more going on here.
Our protagonist, Sammy Johnson, played as the straight man (a term that gets stretched in both senses of its meaning) by Nathan Parkinson, is the son of a renowned police cop who is murdered by an evil robot. At first doubting his ability to follow in his father’s footsteps, he eventually comes round to the idea and indeed becomes fairly focused on being “the best damn police cop in space” as he seeks revenge for his father’s death.
The other two performers, Tom Roe and Zachary Hunt, play the rest of the characters, who include Sammy’s trusty Cyborg assistant; Ranger, an alien pilot who enthusiastically joins him on his trek; Tanner, the sexually deviant evil robot who killed Sammy’s father; and a host of other unhinged creations, some of whom only show their face for a brief scene-stealing moment before running off into the wings. Each character inhabits the desperate intentions and neuroses we have seen so many times in the movies, but taken to a new manic fever pitch, as they break into extended choreographed dance routines, songs and action sequences.
It’s clear from the beginning that we’re in the hands of performers with the comedic talent and physical ability to make this work, and what’s more, they are obviously enjoying it. The whole thing has the freshness of a humour shared between friends that has bounced between them gathering pace until it became a well-structured hour of gloriously silly clowning. Part of that freshness comes from touches of improvisation acknowledging the at times flimsy machinery of their creation. Nods to the audience are the essence of clowning and there are plenty of those tonight, many of which in reference to slight slips or breakings of character, but they just about manage to stay on the right side of incompetency.
One running joke is the loud electro-swing that can be heard booming in from the festival area outside. Though some background rumbles from other venues is an expected part of the Fringe ambiance, it seems particularly intrusive tonight. The performers were clearly distracted but didn’t let it put them off. Rather, the moments they make cheeky references to it are a welcome part of the entertainment.
This, after all, was never meant to be a well-oiled masterpiece of precision. It’s a chance to revel in the absurdity of three men on stage attempting to portray an environment of galactic proportions with a set of props that could have all been picked up from their living room floor – an office chair to represent spinning through space, a skipping rope to create a vortex sending them into warp drive, an etch-a-sketch-type kids toy as a hand scanner, mops as love interests, and an ingenious trick of lights to create the illusion of a space bike in motion.
Police Cops have found a winning formula. The story, though intentionally hackneyed, has injections of originality that create sweetly silly variations on the form, and it has the narrative satisfaction of the best blockbusters. The character development often goes above and beyond, laying bare the inner worlds of each character with a touch of theatrical depth that complements the buffoonery. It’s a show that’s bursting at the seams with imagination and is a joy to behold.
Runs until 7 May 2023
The Review Hub Score
Gloriously silly
