Review: The Big Time – Customs House, South Shields

The Big Time, by local writer and actor Wayne Miller, makes its debut tonight at The Customs House.

The play is a little reminiscent of Peter Straughan’s Bones, another gangsters comedy from a local writer which premiered in the North East.

The relationship between two kidnappers is familiar, with one constantly reprimanding the other for his incompetence.

Here, it is Jerry (Paul Dunn) who has to put up with Jacks’ (Craig Richardson) constant stupidity and nerves. It’s difficult to see how the pair was trusted with any assignment.

Richardson takes the limelight, who energetically portrays the terminally stupid Jacks.

As Jerry, who is resigned to his colleague’s shortcomings, Dunn is a nice contrast to Richardson’s physicality.

Zoe Hakin, who plays hostage Vanessa, makes a subtle transition between a frightened to a manipulative hostage as she works out how she can use the pair’s incompetence against them.

Miller’s direction is particularly nice, with the four actors making good use of the small, efficient set. And despite the subject matter, the tone is consistently light, even more so than Straughan’s Bones.

The dialogue is crowd-pleasing rather than fresh, with an over-reliance upon references to sex for some cheap laughs. There’s perhaps one simile using a body part too many.

Some lines (“do you swallow?”) are particularly crude, even if they are meant to convey another dimension to Jacks through his inability to communicate effectively.  With these, alongside references to a certain ex-Radio 1 DJ, the play occasionally falls into ‘pantomime’ territory.

However the show is ultimately good escapism in the hands of some very promising local talent.

It might not be big, or especially clever, but The Big Time delivers a fun evening with some belly-laughs.

Date of live review: 29 August 2013

The Big Time runs at The Customs House, South Shields from 29 to 31 August. Tickets are £13/11.