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Twenty years after it first graced our screens, the BBC’s Salford-based hit sitcom Ideal is back, but this time on stage at LOWRY.
Johnny Vegas returns as drug dealer Moz, alongside the original cast in this absurdly exceptional dark comedy, Ideal, the 20th anniversary live show.
Ideal at LOWRY
Watch the trailer here
Moz (Johnny Vegas) still working as a drug dealer from his flat in Salford, now lives with his fiancée Liza (Lucy Farrett). He receives a visit from an old friend in Colin (Ben Crompton) who has gone from always being on probation to just being let out of a long-term prison sentence, much to Colin’s displeasure.
Moz gets roped into hosting a party for Colin to celebrate his newfound freedom, with flamboyant friend Brian (Graham Duff) and the always apologetic mortician Judith (Joanna Neary) also along for the ride. Things drastically spiral out of control however, as the party mood is dampened when a shocking death turns Moz’s world upside down.
“The show is a delightful comedy farce full of laughs, backstabbing schemes, a murder mystery, a séance and much more”
Meanwhile, Moz’s neighbour Psycho Paul (Ryan Pope) and the enigmatic Cartoon Head (Curt Faltrey) team up for a corpse disposal business and things soon get out of hand as Paul’s old flame Tania (Emma Fryer) returns with a job concerning a dead body filled with an incredible number of priceless diamonds that soon tests each of their loyalties.
The story is told with the two plot lines running side by side of one another, literally, as the set is a faithful recreation of both Moz and Paul’s apartments from the show, as each room tells a piece of the story at a time. The show is a delightful comedy farce full of laughs, backstabbing schemes, a murder mystery, a séance and much more.
The show feels like a living breathing episode of Ideal in all its wonderfully weird style. Graham Duff’s exquisitely dark comedic writing shines as its matched with a fantastic cast full of flawed characters that feel real despite the crazy situations they all find themselves in.
Will fans of the TV show enjoy the stage show?
The production does an impressive job of bringing the tv show to the stage, and effortlessly brings the characters’ lives into the present day in ways that make sense with the same witty jokes, adult humour and surrealism it was known for, to both delight returning fans and offer a fun time to newcomers to the show.
The cast all return to their roles as if they had never left. Whether its Johnny Vegas, Graham Duff and Ben Crowder playing off each other hilariously, to Ryan Pope and Emma Fryer’s smouldering one-of-a-kind chemistry, each member of the cast displays excellent comic timing and delivery and have a great amount of fun with their roles as they keep the audience laughing throughout the whole show, with everyone getting the chance to shine.
“Johnny Vegas, Graham Duff and Ben Crowder playing off each other hilariously”
The show is well paced with both acts (with a twenty-minute interval in between) that feel well balanced and full of comedy moments that keep things moving in the right direction.
Great care is taken from the production team to make the show’s unique style translate to the stage with drug-induced hallucinations and visions, dream sequences and even dance numbers brought to life with ambient sounds, (sound design by Nick Warren) music and dramatic lighting (Lighting design by Mikey Howard).
Ideal also features audio guest appearances from Nicola Reynolds and Tom Goodman-Hall who reprise their roles as Nicki and P.C. respectively via phone calls with Moz.
Written and directed by show creator Graham Duff, Ideal’s 20th Anniversary Live Show is a laugh out loud riot of a theatre show that fans both old and new can feel at home while watching.
Tickets for IDEAL at LOWRY
Ideal: Starring Johnny Vegas is showing at The Lowry until Saturday 13th September.
Available tickets can be purchased by clicking here
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