Blend together a serving of Anchorman, a dollop of The 39 Steps, a couple of bad B movies, a talented cast of individuals, a smattering of comedy accents and you get The Monster Hunters. Not taking themselves to serious is the theme of the day, its weird but it works!
The play pivots around Chesterfield (Peter Davis) and Roy Steel (Matthew Woodcock) as a dynamic duo of monster hunters looking for an ancient vampire that stalks a “groovy” 70’s discothèque of the stars. Their journey makes them meet some sinister women, who lure their Monster Hunting stories from them. The Bog Monster story from Steel and the Hand of Anubis from Chesterfield, that make the bulk of the show.
Gag after gag, followed by some wit makes this show fly by with raucous moments, especially as it’s all a bit slapdash. Nothing is polished, it’s constantly on the edge of descending into farce but the risk gives it the nervy energy that drives it forward and has the audience of the performers’ side from the off.
All the performances are perfectly pitched for the productions style and the five actors make a brilliant ensemble show. Simon Kane’s Count Orloff was both my personal highlight (and lowlight due to some revealing costuming) of the show; such a brilliant pastiche of stock evil vampire that you can do nothing but enjoy it!
If you want my advice, when the Monster Hunters are nearby, hunt them down and see them!
