Piatto Finale @ Zoo

A spoons solo? Must be more Lecoq-trained whimsy, this time from the company Superbolt Theatre. A more episodic, screwball piece than the bouffon of other Lecoq work, it zips along at top speed, plunging headlong into nonsense to see if something logical will emerge at the other side... and it does, almost.

A brilliant cast (glam, hilarious Maria Askew, cheeky-faced Simon Maeder, Frode Gjerlow, giving good matinee idol) play various lunatic characters and even have unflattering puppets of themselves in a slight story concerning a missing musical manuscript, would-be spies, false denouements and parodies of Russian contemporary dance. Diva Cleo, with her exaggerated pout, gets one of the best lines, in: "My food arrives even before I order it." Some of the props have almost Terry Gilliam-esque brilliance, such as the cardboard house, with pictures of Queen Victoria and Patrick Moore popping up to make ludicrous pronouncements. The main theme threading throughout is ridiculous sub- plots contained within a film noir structure. [Missy Lorelei]