The Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot played host to my favourite quirky theatre company at the weekend –when Gonzo Moose stopped off there as part of the national tour of their new production Great Scott!

Oxfordshire audiences who fondly remember their previous productions What the Dickens, Grim and Grimmer, or I’m An Aristocrat Get me Out of Here! can rest assured that this latest show does not disappoint.

The company have used their considerable skill in improvisation, clowning and physical theatre to bring to life their own idiosyncratic take on Captain Scott’s legendary mission to Antarctica in 1912. Told from the point of view of Professor George Cranston and The Brinkley Conspiracy Society it turned out that the object of the expedition was not to get to the South Pole before anyone else but rather to determine and contain the threat of an alien invasion.

In their usual mode the company of three actors played all the various characters of the story (there are quite a few!) changing quickly from one to the other with clarity, precision and wit. Mark Dawson was hilarious as Prof Cranston and rather moving (though still very funny) as Captain Scott, while Alys Torrance and Ben Whitehead, were equally first-class whether they were playing loopy conspiracy theorists, salty sea dogs, playboy explorers or penguins. Another outstanding character was the Abominable Snowman who was conjured up with some excellent theatrical magic.

Directed with a sure hand by Abigail Anderson this fast moving show never misses a beat. Though it is very easy to watch it is obviously very complex to stage. A wide variety of locations and multitude of quickly changing characters offer challenges aplenty, which have been cunningly and imaginatively overcome.

Though this is a very funny show it has many touching moments, for instance, Scott trying to write his diary entries despite constant interruptions, or Taffy’s reminiscences of home. This distinctive style is something I have admired in Gonzo Moose’s previous productions. It makes their shows laugh-out-loud funny without being cruel and they are even more effective because of that.

You still have the opportunity to see this hilarious show as it is coming to the Mill Theatre Banbury on 26 May. It’s a real treat!

Angie Johnson

4 stars