3 stars

***

If, like me, you’re a fan of the cinematic classics that are Ghostbusters, Top Gun and Dirty Dancing, then you might be intrigued by the promise that The Flashback offer: to let us in on what our favourite 80s movie characters are up to nowadays.  For instance, did you know that the Ghostbusters could now be called upon to get a tricky stain out of your upholstery?  Or that Freddie Krueger has ambitions to be a TV chef?  This show promises the stuff that IMDB can’t teach us.

It’s a nice premise but I felt that after a while the material became somewhat repetitive and there were a number of jokes which simply fell flat.  If the running time had been 40-45 minutes then I imagine this could be a little belter of a show, but stretched out to an hour the pace definitely suffered.  As it passed 1am I began to wish that they had left Baby in that flipping corner.  It appeared that a minority of the audience felt the same and as time went on I could sense a number of restless people around me.

Nevertheless the performers on stage continued to give it their all, delivering solid performances throughout.  They all had a natural flair for comic timing which meant that, when they came, they milked the laughs for all they were worth.

Overall, a nice little show that is unfortunately stretched a bit too far.

Reviewed by Di

Venue – Just up the Road @ the Caves

00.20 – 01.20