BANG BANG. Only the audience dies with laughter.

Theatre Review By Stephen Weir, Caribbean Camera
Today's Caribbean Camera - Review by Stephen Weir
Toronto’s Factory Lab Theatre has given auidences an extra few days to see a very funny dark play about the police shooting of an unarmed black man.   Bang Bang (guess what it is all about) was to close earlier this week, but, due to overwhelming demand for tickets  five additional performances have been added  - the curtain drops February 24th.

A rookie female black police officer (Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah) shoots an unarmed black youth, and a white playwright (Jeff Lillico) uses the incident as inspiration for his new hit play. Problem is, the playwright changes an important fact about the outcome of the shooting –  the victim survived the shooting but the very successful play (which everyone believes) has the victim dying from his gun shot wound.  The black community believe the play and turn against the rookie cop.
The play which got its world premier late in January, is set in the living room of the cop’s mother (Karen Robinson), keen on protecting her daughter at all costs from the outside world. As the disgraced police officer downs a breakfast of beer (and more beer), the playwright, (Sébastien Heins ) a  child TV star turned dramatic actor å la Drake and a body guard (Richard Zeppieri ) who is a dead ringer for Joe Pesci also show up at her door.
Horrors. The altered play that has ruined her life is now being adapted into an even more altered Hollywood movie without her consent.. Wary of the backlash he might receive, the playwright decides to visit the cop and tell her what is going on. Meanwhile the actor wants to study the cop so that he can recreate her every move in the movie.
BANG BANG questions the impact of what it means to be “inspired by true events” while finding the humour in a humourless situation.
Factory Lab on Bathurst Street is reporting nightly full houses and extended standing ovations. With such a raucous response it is not a shocker that the new     Kat Sandler play has been extended.


--> Bang Bang  is filled with witty, ironic banter and it is also has its moments: real gunfire, real beer breakfast and real bad potty mouth. This play within a play puts a final twist on the verbal swizzle stick that Toronto audiences are enjoying in this funny cop shocker.

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