There’s a certain gin club I know rather well that likes to take a foray into the Fringe each year, and so looks around for a suitable show, preferably one with gin in the title and a free gin beforehand on offer.
This year The Gin Chronicles in New York ticked the box nicely. Apparently The Gin Chronicles are an institution: they’ve been At Sea one year and had A Scottish Adventure another.
Interrupt the Routine are the company behind the so-called Misfits of London, who present themselves as a group of 1940s radio performers running the series called Gin Chronicles. This spoof show features two vintage detectives – John Jobling and Doris Golightly – who find themselves in New York on a case involving counterfeit gin.
The cast of three men, two women, and a technician for the noises off, presents itself as a radio show with lots of visual gags. It’s all pretty lighthearted knockabout stuff, and in best commercial radio tradition has regular ad spots for the gin and tonic sponsors who provide the welcoming tipple.
Doris is kidnapped, mayhem ensues, and the plot to ruin Europe’s gin supply is foiled. Result – a jolly sort of evening that kept the gin ladies perfectly happy.
****
artSpace@St Marks. 7 Castle Terrace until August 26th