We love a good panto over at STARBURST Towers. Nothing improves a night at the theatre more than getting to yell ‘It’s Behind You’ at a 90s celebrity, after all. Gumshoe! is not that sort of panto, but it is a one-man audience participation show which feels like a panto for all seasons.
Christian Dart is Detective ‘Gummo’ Custer, aka Gumshoe, a larger-than-life film-noir style detective who’s walked straight out of a Sam Spade story via a copy of the Beano. Dart affects a Humphrey Bogart-style voice as he narrates his dastardly tale of detective hi-jinks. The pop-culture references aren’t just limited to Bogart, of course; Dart has curated a world that is dense with iconic detective fiction, from Columbo to Marlowe. And then immediately sent them up in a very funny way.
Even if you’ve never spent an evening or two watching classic crime movies or reading detective fiction, the characters and plot are very easy to grasp. Dart uses props and sound effects to underline the humour, and enlists the audience in his shenanigans in order to keep us engaged in what is a very fast and clever show. The performer is very good with the audience and keeps us both laughing and on the edge of our seats throughout. Expect to say ‘oooh’ and ‘ahhhh’ a lot between giggles.
We get a whistle-stop tour of the detective genre as Dart attempts to cram every possible cliché and trope into the story, and there are some knowing nods to the genre’s more problematic elements; the old-fashioned sexism that is prevalent in the source material is poked fun at in a way that everyone can enjoy.
Christian Dart: GUMSHOE! Noir-tastic fun for all the family. Brilliant stuff. If you’re going to see one detective comedy this year, make it this one.
