Wednesday 10th until Sunday 28th February 2010 @ The Brewery, Bristol

Ivan is a pencil pusher for the Russian government in the most boring and nondescript office in the world. For years he has turned up for work every morning, gone through the obligatory vocal and physical exercises and then sat down to work at his desk, having no idea what his job actually is. That is, however, until an ambiguous inspector is sent down from Head Office. Ivan must blag and improvise his way through this report, being sure not to stray from the party line (even as it changes hourly), or he’ll loose everything.

Watching The Department of Smelling Pistakes is reminiscent of a very good, extended Monty Python sketch (The Ministry of Silly Walks, anyone?): A very simple set up and some very simple characters providing the basis for a torrent of absurd, colourful comedy. After the well received 20,000 Leagues Under The Office, Publick Transport’s latest show is a sensational, good humoured parody of 1984, exposing the lunacy of a society so regimented and scrutinised that you have to straighten your tie to answer the phone and can’t even pull your trousers up without filling in a report and application.

The show’s two actors, Angus Barr and Toby W. Davies, are a joy to watch. It’s hard to portray characters as non-existent as these but they bounce off each other wonderfully in rich, unshakeable Russian accents that are used to full advantage to manipulate language again and again: “Flatulence will get you nowhere!”; “How could they be listening? What, you think we’re been buggered?” The entire show is a brilliant exercise in repetitive humour, office-based slapstick and non-stop silly wordplay. It is undoubtedly funny but could be said to be guilty of going a little too over the top at points; it would have been nice just to have a little more clarity earlier on but I suppose misunderstanding and uncertainty are the nature of the beast.

www.tobaccofactorytheatre.com

Matt Whittle