REVIEW: NEWSREVUE: HMS Unthinkable at Canal Café Theatre 16 November 2023-14 January 2024

“a valiant effort”

Forty-four years into its run, Newsrevue bills itself as the world’s longest-running live comedy show. This satirical review of the news, interspersed with copious song parodies, is buoyed by a very talented cast. There are moments of inspired comedy, such as Pollutants In The Air, which imagines Greta Thunberg singing, and occasionally shrieking, about the climate crisis while dancers holding plastic bags do a tragic ballet. The musical parodies are well performed and there are some very interesting choices, such as having cast members Hannah Harquart and Heather Kirk as Priti Patel and Suella Braverman sing a parody of a song from the rarely-performed musical Chess about the downfall of their political ambitions (this is interesting given that Chess is about the dangerous intersection of politics, ambition, and personal relationships). But I have to be honest: I only laughed once, when Greta Thunberg screamed in my date’s face.

The jokes almost all fell flat, the humour was barely topical (a bit about politicians partying during Covid felt years out of date), and the song parodies often outstayed their welcome. Maybe the news is just too depressing. I think this is a valiant effort to find some lightness in a dark time; it just didn’t work for me.

Newsrevue: HMS Unthinkable, 16 November 2023-14 January 2024,  https://canalcafetheatre.com/our-shows/newsrevue/

Director: Helen Cunningham

Musical Director: Dylan Allcock & Aveev Isaacson

Cast: Bryn Cash, Hannah Harquart, Heather Kirk & Fergus Murphy

Reviewed by Clio Doyle