Spymonkey’s Cooped (full length)

Spymonkey

World touring. Sydney Opera House, Regular runs at Leicester Square Theatre, London

Extended version for touring of the gothic romance clown show.

PRESS
'I've thought this through carefully, and am now confident in saying that everything about this sensational show works brilliantly. Perhaps an appropriate addition to that statement is the fact that it certainly isn't for the easily offended or weak-hearted. A self-styled gothic thriller, there lies a surprise around every corner, at once disturbing and hilarious. In other words, the perfect Festival show? Well, yes. The cast deliver outstanding performances, entertaining us non-stop with their mind-boggling sense of humour. Indeed, the relentless comedy hardly left time for a plot, yet the actors handled the script deftly, always communicating clearly. In the hands of lesser performers this show could have become a mess but as things stand, 'Cooped' is an absolute triumph of comedy and theatre.'
Three Weeks

'Just go to see Spymonkey and laugh. That’s all that needs to be said. Go. See them. Laugh. This is physical comedy at its best. It is the spirit of Spike Milligan and the Marx Brothers and the Goons. This is silliness. If someone wants a definition of true British comedy this is it'
The Stage

'Spymonkey are very, very, very, very, very funny - and I'm not just saying that because I am paid by the word. Slapstick and general buffonery don't get any better than this. Director Cal McCrystal ensures that the shows shenanigans are choreographed and timed to perfection.'
The Melbourne Age

'This is one of the funniest pieces of theatre you will ever see. This beautifully crafted melodrama is packed with physical humour, silliness and exquisite performances from start to finish. If there's any justice in the wolrd these guys will be given their own TV series.'
Time Out

'Young audiences flocking out of Spymonkey’s gothic spoof can be heard using, amid the obvious descriptions such as “brilliant” and “hilarious”, equally appreciative terms: “crazy”, “bonkers”, “random”, “sooo mental!” Wrong. Hilarious it certainly is, shriekingly and helplessly so at times, but what this quartet do is as precise as a Swiss watch. Under the direction of Cal McCrystal, who directed the physical comedy elements of One Man Two Guvnors, it is crafted to the second. To look as “random” as this takes every ounce of the nerve and skill these performers have gleaned over 15 years together. Every joke, move, pratfall and unexpected insanity is planned and consummately executed. For all their gleeful, larky enjoyment wafting across the footlights like a blessing, these are serious virtuosi.'
Libby Purves, The Times

VIDEO
- Trailer
- Trailer 2
- Melbourne Gala

YEAR
2006