Charlie Shaw’s Revenge
It is unclear what businessman Jonathan Forrestal’s hopes for his failing amusement park are, any aspirations unlikely to be achieved and now a financial burden, Forrestal’s Funland having suffered in the post-pandemic slump and due to reopen in a fortnight after the seasonal closure, the log flume, dinosaur experience, owl experience and big top all needing spruced up as the acts assemble and prepare themselves.
A management expert brought in to boost the profile and takings, known for her “experience and reputation,” it is unclear what Marion expects to achieve, the downward trend endemic to the leisure industry as a whole rather than specific to the location or any failing of the acts, yet blaming them and the maintenance staff before she has even been introduced to them and not once offering anything which might be called an idea, only scorn.
Directed by John Langridge, Charlie Shaw’s Revenge is a clown horror with Cerys Knighton leading as Marion, given authority by the scheming hands-off owner who doesn’t even show her around and handed his daughter Chloe (Shahla Ayamah) as her assistant, or possibly to spy on her, while the performers and crew, Dianne, Fran, Ari, Russ and Josh (Amelie Leroy, Molly Cattanach, Renato Pires, Bill Fellows and Billy Cashin) bear the brunt of the storm with justified resentment.
Marion saying if she were a man her methods wouldn’t be questioned while alienating every one of the existing team with her rudeness before she has demonstrated any insight into the workings of a theme park or circus which might inspire the team to believe she has a clue what she’s talking about, when two of them quit, leaving only scribbled notes to say they’ve had enough, who would think that they might have been murdered in the night?
A carnival horror shot at Knockhatch Adventure Park in Hailsham which requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief and a lot of patience, Charlie Shaw’s Revenge sees the manifested ghost of the titular character, better known as allegedly iconic alter ego Otto the Clown (James Payton), hunting the midway for lone prey yet strangely never targeting swindling former business partner Forrestal (Neil Burgess) whose betrayal led to his suicide, only the underpaid workers serving as fodder.
Tedious and filled with half-conceived characters whose unnatural behaviour calls attention to the shortcomings of Langridge’s script, mobile phones confiscated as a punishment early to later prevent the police being summoned yet nobody actually even suggesting a call is made until well after the bodies have begun to drop, the first half filled with bickering and the second witless murder in the dark before a clumsy reveal, played as an over the top comedy it might conceivably have been endurable.
Charlie Shaw’s Revenge’s UK premiere was on Thursday 1st October
