After their great success last year, Interrupt the Routine are back with a brand new episode of
The Gin Chronicles: A Scottish Adventure is a delight from start to finish
The show’s uniqueness is utterly charming. The cast play actors from 1940s group ‘The Misfits of London,’ who act in their radio show The Gin Chronicles, complete with corporate product placement, Foley artist sound effects, and half-time advertisements. With their old-fashioned microphone standing at the front of the stage, the 1940s feel to proceedings never once wavers.
The plot of the radio show follows amateur detective John Jobling and his assistant Doris Golightly, who take a trip to Scotland in order to stop Nazi Hollywood actors from stealing all the juniper berries in their dastardly attempt to starve post-war Britain of its gin! If that doesn’t intrigue you, I don’t know what will.
The ensemble of four is supremely talented. Robert Blackwood as Arnold Wilson playing John Jobling (real name, actor name, character name) fulfils his role as bumbling protagonist with impeccable wit and comic timing. Helen Foster as Margaret Pugh as Doris Golightly will leave you smiling every time she speaks. Nicholas Limm as Ronald Bridges shows his remarkable vocal talent through the sheer amount of characters he manages to play, often in the same scene, as does Emer O Connor as Celia Fairbairn who showcases her formidable ability to switch between characters in an almost effortless manner.
The use of live sound effects is always a lot of fun to watch, as are the antics of Foley artist Luke Lamont. There will never be a moment when a grown man hitting himself on the head with celery is not fun. The additional visual jokes, be they glares between actors and Foley artist as one makes a ‘mistake,’ or the miming of antlers for a particularly ravenous reindeer, add something only possible in this theatrical radio style. Wonderfully terrible accents are accompanied by ridiculous costume and props. You wouldn’t believe the show is an hour long; the time flies by and you’ll be left desperately wanting to catch the next episode.
The Gin Chronicles: A Scottish Adventure is a delight from start to finish and, to top it off, you get a free gin and tonic on the way in. Bargain!
