GUMSHOE! IS THE PERFECT ANTIDOTE TO THESE DEPRESSING WINTER NIGHTS

By Sophie Clark | Muck Rack Portfolio ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

I absolutely loved Gumshoe! Christian Dart’s perfectly ridiculous police parody on at the Soho Theatre for sadly far too short a time. 

I’ve seen a lot more police parodies this year than usual — The Naked Gun (both the new one and the original) PoliceCops, and now Gumshoe. I was nervous that I would feel oversaturated with similar jokes, but Gumshoe! is wholly original in its use of the audience, improvisation, and pantomime-like style. 

Gumshoe! is the perfect antidote to these depressing winter nights. I was laughing from the very start, and Dart’s consistent comic beats — assisted by his sister, Johanna Dart, on tech — kept the audience rapt throughout the hour. A lot of praise should go to Johanna, as it is a tech heavy show, and the sound effects are critical to the plot and the jokes. 

The show is a parody of a 40s film noir, but also an all-out panto, with audience ‘ooohs’ ‘aahhhs’ and even water guns. I would say, if you are averse to being hauled on stage don’t sit in the front row, but those brave few did find themselves playing critical roles in the show. 

It also takes a lot of guts, on Dart’s behalf, to include an audience in that way. Performers can never be sure, especially in London, whether an audience is going to throw themselves into a show, so choosing to base a significant moment of the hour on one audience member, as he does, is a brave decision that really worked. 

I also want his playlist of 40s renditions of pop songs that was on as people entered. My ideal dinner party music. 

My only critique of the show is that the use of fake blood was a little distracting. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but given this is a cop parody show it’s reasonable to assume there is a scene that involves (fake) blood. 

If there is a way for Dart to wipe the fake blood from his body after that moment so that it doesn’t take over the rest of the show, I believe that would better showcase his excellent writing and comic timing. 

Other than that minor note, I massively enjoyed the show, and would highly recommend people go see it when it is back on. 

WEBSITE

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐