Captain Show Off, The Scoop ***

Free theatre is a rare and brilliant thing and this is the 13th year this has happened at the scoop. This latest play is an adaptation of a Plautus comedy that is very similar to the plot of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, right down to the diamond necklace. Touched up with some Frankie Howerd cum Carry On humour and musicals that pastiche 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum', 'West Side Story' and 'Les Mis', this comedy provides some (if limited) interest for adults even if it mainly plays for kids. Some of the innuendo, especially the 'happy stick', is too much and overtly crude however it appeared to wash over the children's heads and they seemed to enjoy the silly and overacted nature of Wilmott's production. The interactivity is the funniest part of this, however, with a child having a bowl of orange stuff being dumped on his head reducing me to hysterics. Whilst I have seen better shows for children, it is impressive that the scoop can provide a production of this quality on a budget from donations and the effect is that children from a wider background will be able to have access to the classics and to theatre in general.