Old Fire Station Theatre, 18-22.02.03

This was set to be a promising production, as it is being performed by AKM Productions, a dynamic student group who have made a name for themselves at the Old Fire Station with well received adaptations of Dracula and the Agatha Christie classic, And Then There Were None.

Popcorn, a West End hit, tells the story of Hollywood Director Bruce Delamitri who earns a living by making violent and pornographic movies. His conducts his affairs with an arrogance only matched by his shamelessness. One night he returns to his Hollywood mansion having just won an Oscar. He is seduced by a beautiful and scheming blonde porn star Brooke, who is involved with criminals Wayne and Scott, who want to blackmail Bruce and his family, and blame him for their penchants for gun crime and murder.

The strength of Ben Elton's play lies in its satire of popular modes of violent cinema and the wider culture which produces such pieces, and in which they thrive. Brian Stuart is a convincingly hedonistic, if somewhat naïve Bruce Delamitri, and Amy Hayes is firmly suitable as the porn star and wannabe Hollywood babe Brooke.

This performance falls short however in conveying Elton's satire and sardonic black comedy. On occasion it falls into the trap of taking itself too seriously, squandering some of the comic potential of Elton's ironic gaze at aspects of modern American culture. It fails to highlight the absurdity of the society it portrays, and to lift the performance to produce the light entertainment of which the play is capable.

This said, the cast have admirable ambitions in recreating such a play and offering their own interpretation. The production demonstrates how challenging it is to produce a new rendition of such a popular play, with such a deceptively subtle cultural critique.

Stephanie Kitchen, 18.02.03