Review: THE LAVENDER HILL MOB, Theatre Royal, Glasgow

The Lavender Hill Mob is a comedy caper written by Phil Porter, directed by Jeremy Sams and starring acclaimed comic actors Miles Jupp and Justin Edwards.

Henry Holland (Jupp) is a bank clerk who drives gold bullion across London all day and dreams of making a break for it with the gold. When he meets Pendlebury, a man who makes souvenir Eiffiel Tower statues out of lead, he hatches a plan to disguise the gold as these statues to easily transport them and sell them for a small fortune.

Act One is a little slow-paced, especially considering the run time is only forty-five minutes. Things pick up in Act Two as the cast of eleven switch up roles and disguises. It's purely brilliant farce and the set design by Francis O'Connor is innovative and extremely adaptable as the action travels from England to France and back again. There are certainly more laughs to be had in the second Act and it is delightfully silly with some excellent comedic performances.

I'm not familiar with the beloved 1951 film so I can't say for certain whether this play measures up to the material most of the audience seem to know well but it makes for a pleasant evening at the theatre.

Photo credit: Hugo Glendinning

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