Bournemouth International Centre, September 25 2018

The grotesques from Royston Vasey, as played by Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, near the end of their UK theatre and arena tour with a reprise of classic sketches and a continuation of the Christmas 2017 anniversary specials, but is this a last hurrah?

It was 2005 when The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You! toured the UK with their pantomime-themed show. It was the same year as their movie The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse, and it looked like this was the end of the phenomenon as the creatives moved on to other projects (Psychoville, Sherlock, Inside No. 9). But then, like a bolt out of the blue, it was announced that we were getting three anniversary specials for Christmas 2017, and this new tour was announced shortly after they aired (possibly waiting to see if there was still an audience for the troupe).

The bunch of ‘locals’ at the Bournemouth International Centre (including an impressive cosplayer in full Papa Lazarou ‘Dave-face’) were clearly up for a fun night out at the tail-end of the tour. With just four more nights in London after tonight, the Gents performed as freshly as if this was opening night.

The first act saw Messrs Gatiss, Pemberton and Shearsmith play multiple roles in tuxedos, wearing the occasional wig or prop to help define gender or character. It didn’t matter, as the voices and mannerisms immediately brought the comedy favourites to life – Pop, Pam Doove and more. Apart from a riff on Mr and Mrs, all sketches were old favourites, playing against a projected backdrop of a theatre backstage.

The second act is a very different beast, with all characters performed in full costume and make-up. There are some incredibly rapid changes, occasionally helped by some pre-recorded ‘advice’ by toxic cleric Bernice to buy a little time. After a reminder of what happened to Tubbs at the end of the specials (abducted via a bogus photo booth) we see the separated Tattsyrups sing a lovely Disney parody ballad before Lazarou arrives. Thoughtthat Pauline was dead? Nope, it was all a ruse for the insurance money, as the officious job restart tyrant viciously addressed us a ‘dole scum’, picking in the cheapskates in the balcony.

In a scene featuring three forms of bodily fluid fountains, toad-loving Dentons Val and Harvey torment nephew Benjamin in the most outrageous way. James Herriot vet spoof Dr Chinnery is let loose on a panda with a giant laser (what possibly could go wrong?) and in a scene that made me laugh so heartily I was close to crying, deviant foreign exchange student leader Herr Lipp invited victims to the stage to be subjected to the most hilarious single and double entendres and explicit innuendo.

Verdict: It’s likely that all your Royston Vasey favourites made a welcome appearance in this hilarious two-hour cavalcade of horror, humour and filth. I wonder what a Gentlemen virgin would make of such antics, but the locals knew what they wanted, and got the ‘special stuff’ in abundance. The town sign warns ‘You’ll never leave!’ Honestly, I don’t want to. 10/10

Nick Joy