The good ol’ American copper movie – it’s classic, it’s action-packed, it’s hairy. That’s the usual blockbuster pitch that gleefully enters our living room every night. We accept it, knowing fully well that the package will inevitably include absurd melodramas, ridiculous villains, and trite references to America.
But, a young trio from the UK rejects the blind acceptance of these formulaic, factory dramas in a very sharp and witty hour of fun called Police Cops!.The show is a bit of a misfit in the comedy festival though, as it is not a passive stand-up routine, but rather a high-powered stage play, complete with super sweet sound effects and a host of creative visuals that actively piss-takes the golden age of American cop drama.
The show wraps itself around a cheese-tastic plot that cleverly incorporates a purposely convoluted drama about a brother-father relationship with the thrilling escapade of capturing a notorious Mexican gangster. The story successfully captures and embraces the wonderful clichés that we all get after seeing these cop dramas, but manages the feat in a playful enough manner that the characters actually become endearing and the show takes on a singular quality in its own right.
Of course, the notes of satire are obviously brushed through the stage play, but it is done in a way that is maximized by the high energy performance rather than purely focusing on the stupidity of the object in question through monologue. This feat is accomplished as a result of the fierce commitment by the cast to portray a constantly revolving ballad of characters through brilliant theatrics and outstanding physical commitments. The killer choreography is one such commitment that elevates the play from pure mockery to a vision of brute entertainment. The choreography includes full-on dance routines, coordinated stunts, and bodily movements that deliver you from the theatre onto the urban jungle of whatever American city is being portrayed at the time.
Finally, the red, white, and blue cherry on top of the cake is the clever incorporation of sound and lighting effects that gives an illusion of a high-end stage production, in line with the blockbuster category that is being ridiculed, even though it is clearly born of a much humbler beginning. The effects and physicality of the production imbibe the stage, making the hour with the Police Cops! an interactive festival of fun.
BY JULIE CARLI
