Gumshoe!
Noo Yoik City, the nineteen forties, the radio playing big band jazz until the news breaks the spell, another body found, the accompanying note indicating that it is once again the work of the Anagram Killer, nemesis of Gummo “Gumshoe” Custer, former police officer turned private detective, an average looking white man with a drinking problem, a torn pocket full of cigarettes and a knack for finding trouble, if it doesn’t find him first…
Opening in darkness at the end of the story, Gumshoe! is the solo show of Christian Dart, one manic third of the Bad Clowns and filling an hour with hot pistols, vicious punnage, merciless betrayal, hot jazz clubs, dames to die for and a history leading back to his first assignment guarding the fabulous Jewel of the Nile, stolen but soon recovered in a hail of bullets, the night shift guard becoming a hero on the rise.
It’s a tale of murder and false leads, the first shot fired in the opening monologue with many more following, the cold neon-lit streets wet with tears and rain as everyone close to Gumshoe becomes a target, his contact and former partner only one day away from retirement, a time so brief that surely nothing tragic could happen to him in that brief span, though perhaps having a condolences card handy might be wise.
A tightly plotted dive through whisky joints of debauchery and karaoke, a gun toting, audience blasting, high kicking, dog baiting, hat splitting, finger spinning, diamond stealing noir revenge thriller physical comedy extravaganza with live special effects the high-profile venue monopolies could only dream off, or perhaps point and laugh at, Gumshoe! is a show which makes a mark, leaving a stain on the souls of those who experience it but were denied the salvation of the witness protection programme.
Gumshoe! continues at Appleton Tower until Sunday 24th August
