by Zahid Fayyaz

This is an absolute blast of a show. The fourth show from Police Cops, who have previously been on tour and in London and the Edinburgh Fringe previously. It is clear that the three-man group have a great handle on the jokes and physical aspect of their performances.

The plot, purposefully ridiculous, is set in Manchester. It involves a young man’s coming-of-age, but he is still smarting from his father leaving him as a baby and coming into his destiny as a vampire killer. The leader of the vampires, the Devil, wants to take over Manchester in order to have access to their sweets, and only one Badass can stop him.

All these cliches are met with hilarious results, from the training and preparation sections to the fight scenes. There are a plethora of very funny one-liners, most of which hit the mark with ease. The only criticism is regarding the length, with it being around 50 minutes altogether. However, whilst short, it is definitely sweet, and well worth watching next time its around.

Police Cops: badass be thy name runs through 19 February.

The Play’s the Thing UK is committed to covering fringe and progressive theatre in London and beyond. It is run entirely voluntarily and needs regular support to ensure its survival. For more information and to help The Play’s the Thing UK provide coverage of the theatre that needs reviews the most, visit its patreon.