INSIDE NO 9 STAGE/FRINGE | UK TOUR @ EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE
★★★★
“A FAN-tastic affair that knows its audience…”
55 episodes, that’s nine series, over 10 years saw Inside No 9 become one of television’s most popular dark comedies; only to be expected really, considering the pedigree of its creators, League of Gentlemen favourites Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith.
While the TV series was laid to rest last year, the moment had been prepared for as Pemberton and Shearsmith announced that a stage version – Inside No 9 Stage/Fright – was to tour. Like its small screen counterpart, the theatrical production takes an anthological approach to storytelling – a collection of tales all wrapped up in a laugh-out-loud, shivers-down-the-spine, jump-out-your-seat ghost story.
Told over two acts, Inside No 9. Stage/Fright opens with a gloriously knowing preamble, an homage to theatre audiences everywhere and one that will resonate with anyone who has an aversion to the erosion of theatre etiquette by entitled patrons. It’s wickedly funny and sets the bar high for what is to come.
When Pemberton and Sheersmith next appear, to rapturous applause, it’s to regale us with the tale of Bloody Belle. She haunts the theatre, according to Shearsmith. Pemberton remains to be convinced. What follows is a clever deconstruction of the theatre experience and a poignant, occasionally cynical comment on the current state of the ‘business’ they call show, addressing everything from the political incorrectness of the ‘old-school’ comedy to stunt casting and more.
Act One sees the return of Cheese and Crackers, reunited after 30 years apart for a one-off gig. It’s a setup that will be familiar to fans of the TV episode, Bernie Clifton’s Dressing Room. Featuring a different special guest at each performance, Two Doors Down’s Jonathan Watson is the stooge looking bemused as is royally put through his paces on press night.
The genius of Pemberton and Shearsmith’s writing, however, is that in amongst the laughter, slapstick and variety-influenced routines and groan inducing gags, there is real heart and an often bitter tragedy that makes their characters ‘real’. Indeed, as they dissect the dynamics of the double-act, it quickly becomes a masterclass in understanding the use of pathos for comic effect.
If Act One is classic Inside No 9 and easily worthy of five stars, Act Two sadly wanders. Opening with a play within a play, Terror In The Asylum proves a nicely melodramatic piece of Grand Guignol with more than a few twists along the way before it loses its momentum – filmed content can be hit or miss the best of times and in this instance it proves the latter, feeling like nothing more than filler.
If the jump scares when they come are on the whole predictable, Inside No 9 has a very definite formula after all, knowledge of the series doesn’t stop them having the desired effect. In fact, the anticipation only heightens their impact.
Throughout, Pemberton and Shearsmith each put in charismatic and diligent shifts and are ably supported by an hard-working, eight-strong ensemble. With generally taut direction from Simon Evans and a suitably atmospheric lighting design by Neil Austin, complimented by Ed Lewis’ sound design, Grace Smart’s simple yet effective set becomes a much spookier realm than it might otherwise be.
A Morecambe and Wise-style ‘finale’ may sit incongruously with what has gone before but does give the company a chance to get their glad rags on… but there’s always a twist at the end… just make sure you stay long enough not to miss it.
Like stage iterations of The League of Gentlemen before it, Inside No 9 Stage/Fright is a nostalgic trip down memory lane that gives regular viewers of the television series everything they could ask for and little bit more and is a FAN-tatsic affair that certainly knows its audience.
At Edinburgh Playhouse until 29 November, tickets HERE | Tour dates and tickets HERE
