Presented by Stolen Table Collective
Review by Eve Nugent
Anatomy Lecture Theatre at Summerhall
The title of this whacky show, Helicops 1: Find Your Wings! begs an immediate question: what exactly is a ‘helicop’? Well, of course, it’s a half-human, half-police-officer, half-helicopter. Naturally.
One particular helicop, Detective Rotary, is busy organising his retirement party when he finds out that his loyal sidekick, Wheels, has been tragically killed in action. To make matters worse, 50 million eels have been dropped on Coventry and 10 gazillion people have died. Who could possibly save the world from an eel-infested apocalypse?
Step aside, Wheels. Enter, the new partner-in-crime. With just 57 minutes until his retirement, Rotary is forced to train up a partner – a process including a beautiful Shakira impression and the brutal lobbing of rubber ducks onto stage. The propeller-powered duo, performed with infectious energy by Joe Smith and Harris Morris, set out to avenge Wheels’ murder and take on the nefarious forces threatening Shrewsbury.
Cutting through the helicopter madness are brief interludes from Helicops Headquarters, aka Sam Dodgshon dressed dashingly as a skyscraper, filling in the blanks of missing context to help the story along – the fast-paced, chaotic premise is thus underpinned adeptly with a clear structure. It is this combination of playful storytelling, ridiculous characters and impressive clowning that makes for a gloriously absurd show, a strong return to the Fringe from company Stolen Table.
A true Fringe experience, this show is absolutely bonkers. Frequent character breaks only make it more likeable, as the performers happily share in the ridiculousness of it all. Helicops 1: Find Your Wings! knows exactly what it is and commits wholeheartedly to its wonderfully chaotic world.
A True Fringe Experience
Helicops 1: Find Your Wings! runs Venue 8, The Crate at Assembly George Square at 16:05
Running time – Sixty minutes
Review by Eve Nugent (contact@corrblimey.uk)
An undergraduate French student at the University of Edinburgh, Eve has a diverse interest in theatre and performance. Her primary devotion is acting, predominantly at Bedlam Theatre with her fellow students, but also with French group ‘Les Escogriffes’ who perform annually at the French Institute of Scotland.
Her creative attention stretches also to classical music, as she enjoys playing the flute, piano and guitar. She thus looks forward to watching whatever the Fringe has to offer, irrespective of genre!
