Kirstie Sleight reviews A Western by Action Hero, playing at the Tobacco Factory Theatre in Bristol until 15 September
What a piece of genius this performance is. Witty, slapstick, lyrical, memorable, Action Hero’s recreation of the classic Western is quite simply, brilliant.
Cue the harmonica, cue beautifully delivered narrative, cue the tomato sauce.
“We want to make a Western. We have a cowboy hat and some ketchup. We want the scene where our hero walks into the bar and everyone stops talking. We want the scene where the whore begs to be loved. We want to cheat at cards. We want blood and guns…”
The performance begins with the opening credits and ends when the titles roll. What happens in the middle is between the actors and the audience. And anything could happen.
Exciting and poignant, intimate and epic, A Western revels in the improbability of recreating the Wild West in all its cinematic glory in a small theatre bar. Improbable, yes. Impossible, no. This is Bristol. This is The West. If you’ve ever wanted to be an extra, here’s your chance.
Expect to stand on a chair to see the action, expect to wish you’d worn a cowboy hat, expect to shoot the hero, expect the smell of ketchup…“This is the scene where we all get to shout ‘Yeehaa!’”
