Farce Noir Presents... The Big Sheep

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Bursting forth from the pen of writer and performer Briony Redman, The Big Sheep sends up the instantly recognisable tropes of Hollywood film noir. Telling the hardboiled tale of Foot, a lost property detective, the play follows him as he gets embroiled in a sinister murder case that conceals a monstrous secret. Parodying noir is nothing new, and there are moments where the show descends into all-too-familiar territory – but there is just enough energy on display here to carry the screwball antics.

Noir cliches are lampooned with gleeful abandon. The ludicrous voice-overs are a particular treat, with Foot (Richard Soames) bagging some of the best lines early on. In fact, the script is positively soaked in wordplay, characters spraying out preposterous sentences like they're bullets from a mobster's Tommy gun. Many of them miss the target, admittedly, but there’s enough genuine hilarity to keep the audience ducking for cover.

Elsewhere, the bargain basement set is utilised with a knowing wink, cardboard boxes standing in for buildings, cars and grimy nightclub interiors. It’s a clever stunt – but one which highlights the ultimately disposable nature of the show as a whole. It’s all outlandish good fun, but the harsh truth is that there’s nothing here that will really stick in the mind for any length of time after the actors have taken their final bow.

The Big Sheep is a shamelessly ridiculous foray into nonsensical comedy. It’s not big and it’s certainly not particularly new – but it is a tiny bit clever.