Accolades are a great way of publicising a show, and if you’re looking for a comedy, “written by 2015 Billy T Winner Hamish Parkinson” seems like a sure-fire bet. Parkinson has a genuinely unique comedic talent, which defies definition, but the trouble with Fun Run is that, as a play, it requires some sort of central theme or genre. At times it’s existential, others absurdist, others farcical, but its lack of consistency results in the script coming across like a mash of ideas that runs out of gas rather than anything considered as a whole.

Directed by Holly Chappell-Eason and Tom Eason, the show feels stuck somewhere between one of Parkinson’s more thematically-centralised performances and a devised play. Any potential at the start of the script is dropped, which is unfortunate, because there’s a surprising amount of profundity in the first few lines. The idea is solid within the logic of the world of the play, four strangers being hunted down while participating in a fun run under charitably misconstrued intentions, but its pursuit and execution is lacking. [More]

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Fun Run: ridiculous costumes, running, charity conspiracy theories, running, absurd laughs, and all the best/worst fake blood you could ever wish for… and running.

2015 Billy T Award Winner Hamish Parkinson, and directors Holly Chappell-Eason and Tom Eason present Fun Run, a top notch dark absurdist comedy in the Basement Theatre.

Fat Batman (Ryan Richards), Rubix Cube (Brynley Stent), Silly Sausage (Laura Daniel) and Bumble Bee (Alice Canton) have all volunteered for a charity fun run- though the fun in the run is more for us than them, their run oscillating between mourning, manic paranoia, nostalgia, ‘friendship’, conspiracy theories and murder.

The shocking murder of an innocent seagull sets the scene for a comical, bizarre and traumatic ordeal for the four different, yet equally kooky, runners. Their witty and exaggerated interactions provide ridiculous but effective laughs, bringing together kids-in-the-back-seat-on-a-long-drive, with grown up f-bomb layered cynicism (except for Fat Batman – because “Batman doesn’t swear”).

The actors impressively deliver consistently fast-paced performance with endurance, quite literally as they run the entirety of the show. Worthy of note are Fat Batman, whose efforts at reformation in the hope of making his son proud are slowly being unwound, and Silly Sausage, whose passionate compassion for birdlife also supplies some of the most memorable and chuckle-worthy moments.

Though one to perform, the show is hardly an endurance marathon to watch, the race ending after a speedy 40 minutes. Without a set, Fun Run carves and organises the space. Slow motion, super speed, corners hurdles, and fences are all seamlessly integrated into the action; sudden direction changes bring us back to the run in all the right moments.

Murder in the name of the wetlands is around every corner, so don’t run ahead of the group. Incredible/terrible fight scenes are just out of sight, so don’t fall behind.
Considerably more enjoyable than your Monday morning jog, Fun Run is quality evening entertainment and well worth the giggle.
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