one4review | On 22, Aug 2025

In this energetic one-man show Ben Goldsmith takes on the roles of criminals great and small all trying to make their way in the sleazy (and decidedly silly) city of CrimeLandTown.

In the mafia mould of crime classics such as Goodfellas and The Godfather, the show is a mix of many nefarious ne’er-do-wells all played through a variety of outrageous accents by Goldsmith as he retells the story of the most dangerous heist of the century. A story in which a vast number of people end up sleeping with the fishes (or at the very least napping in the shallow end). Mixing together character comedy, audience participation and physical theatre, Goldsmith navigates through the story involving a disaffected lounge singer, a French thief with a crew of celebrity assistants and a disarmingly British detective who keeps (literally and figuratively) getting tied in knots.

It’s a fun show with several very fun set pieces, but was somewhat marred at my viewing by an unenthusiastic crowd who were somewhat unwilling to join in with Goldsmith’s various attempts to draw them in. Any show with this amount of silliness and crowd work involves a certain level of audience buy-in early doors otherwise there is bound to be dead air at any section relying heavily on participation for the jokes. It’s always something of a risk to have sections of the show dependent on people willing to play along but I think, for the right crowd who show up knowing what to expect, they could really be in for a treat.

****
Reviewed byTom M
Daisy at Underbelly, Bristo Square
13:15 to 14.25
Until 24th August