After the Bomb, ostensibly a 1950 spy piece, is presented by Cicero Productions at the Zoo Southside. The show starts well, with two communist spies meeting to plot an explosion, comparing horrific war experiences in the style of the Monty Python we were so poor . It goes on to display a wide range of influences, from Pythonesque surreal dialogue, through old spy movies and James Bond, to Indiana Jones and Doctor Who. Sounds a little confusing? Well, yes. There is pace in parts, and the cast perform with passion. However, there are dodgy accents, characters that are a little too hard to tell apart and slightly too long scene changes. Overall story doesnt fit together well enough, feeling as if too many different ideas had accidentally ended up in one show. For example, adding a carnivorous character from another world (who was excellent, but seemed not only from another world but another show entirely) was almost too much to take. So, while there are some funny moments with sharp banter, the confused collection of characters and themes meant that I left the show unsatisfied. The production may have been more coherent and slick if the central bomb story had been developed more simply with fewer characters. Nick Moran both wrote and directed the production, and while this suggests a commendable workrate, I wonder if it would have benefited from more selective development of ideas and separation of duties.
