Spymonkey are a physical comedy theatre quartet, formed in 1997, who have offered up many successful and acclaimed shows over the past decade and a half. The most recent of these is Oedipussy, billed ambitiously as ”Greek tragedy meets Bond”. As the audience enters the theatre, they are met with a sign warning of “nudity, smoke, strobe lighting, loud bangs, strong language, bodily mutilation, scenes of incest, rape, infanticide, suicide, pestilence and animal sacrifice”; as one might imagine, this makes for an enjoyable, frantic and thoroughly entertaining two hours.

The shameless silliness that is Spymonkey’s trademark is well exhibited in this production, as they turn the story of Oedipus and his terrible fate into a comedy one can’t help laughing at. From rudimentary slapstick to well-scripted jokes based on the classic Greek tragedy itself, there was almost certainly a joke for every member of the audience, and many that received universal approval. The music, a truly impressive feature of the show, as much for its comedic value as for the talent of the performers, added some clever “Bond” flavour to the production. Some of the most successful comedy was in fact found in the musical numbers, from “Leprosy’s not funny” to the saxophone soundtrack to incestuous wooing, to the poignant, bittersweet finale. Here especially, Spymonkey test their own theory established in the first half, that it is easy to make people laugh with silliness, but much harder to make them cry. Woven into the famous story are asides from each of the cast, who all have their own backstory to tell; while some of these are more successful than others, there are nevertheless laughs included in many of the moments when they jump out of character, as the audience sees two storylines developing on the same stage. The obvious chemistry between all four actors is a joy to behold, and contributes no end to the ultimate enjoyment of the production.

While they tried their best to maintain the brisk tempo that such comedy requires, some of the asides directed to the audience drag slightly, slowing down a first half that is already perhaps too long. Nevertheless, I have to recommend it as a must-see for fans of fast-paced silliness, Greek tragedy, and dire David Bowie impersonators. If you’re lucky enough to have time for dinner before, the restaurant at the Lyric does a fantastic line in table-sized pizzas to share, and the terrace is a beautiful place to have a quiet drink before or after a show.

Oedipussy runs until the 21 April at the Lyric, book here.

Written by a Thoroughly Modern Man, James Bomford.