The Last Quiznight on Earth

On arrival at Chorley Studio Theatre to see CADOS latest play “The Last Quiz Night on Earth” written by Alison Carr little did I know that this would be my last evening on earth because a massive meteor was hurtling towards us meaning the world was ending  I then find out that my last night on earth would be spent taking part in a quiz night at the local pub with the very apt name of The Four Horsemen, hosted by landlady Kathy, and assisted by Quizmaster extraordinaire Nes, They have decided that they are going to do what they do every week and host a quiz night creating an oasis of normalcy because there was panic, gridlocked traffic and  general chaos outside, it was going to be the best quiz night in the pub’s history. The audience are the pub’s regular customers and are very much part of this very entertaining immersive production. The audience actually take part in the quiz and compete to be the winner and for the best Team name. However, with time quickly running out, unexpected guests arrive on the scene, with the result secrets are revealed and truths are told

 I have never had an experience like this before. The whole Studio was the performance area set with tables and chairs around the room which represented the inside of the pub, The Four Horsemen, when you walked in through the doors you were walking into the bar on a Saturday evening, you chose your table and got the drinks in, it felt very normal and relaxed. This production suited the venue of the Studio Theatre very well and was a good choice.

Directed by Sean Duxbury there were four talented actors in the cast who were all very secure in their roles and gave excellent performances, while also adapting to a very different type of production. There was some witty dialogue in the script, which the actors delivered expertly with good comic timing, and sometimes they talked to members of the audience directly. They played their roles so realistically I felt it was actually happening, I was part of the experience and I  couldn’t wait for the next round of the quiz but unfortunately our table did not win.The actors included Tess Lucas as Kathy, the landlady who was queen of her domain taking charge of the situation and her pub. Neil Brogan-Brown had two sides to his role one as loud and lovable Nes and the other as Nes the Quizmaster which he performed very well, he also complemented Tess nicely meaning their characters working friendship was very believable. Everything is going well when suddenly their little world is disrupted by the arrival of Bobby Kathy’s brother played by Steve Catterall who hasn’t been seen for twenty years, it appears he is anxious to settle, as he sees it, unfair incidents with Kathy who is leaning about this for the first time.Then we have Lauren Brogan-Brown as Fran, Nes‘s High school girl friend who is desperately looking for a last chance of love with the man who is the love of her life, she believes they were separated by parents as young teenagers but is she right to believe this. Dialogue was easy to follow, even though the actors were moving through the tables most of the time.

There was a good range of quiz questions over five rounds that meant there was something for everybody in the audience, the categories ranged from general knowledge to national flags, film, TV and sports.

The lighting and sound design was once again developed by Paul Carr and the costumes were sourced by Kath Townsend, they were just right, matching the characters very well, and marketing and posters were by Ian Robinson.

The Last Quiz Night on Earth was an unexpected and very different experience. It is a funny play with plenty of laughs and yet it was also a poignant with some tears, but we get to experience some surprises as we take part in the quiz to end all quizzes and explore and witness how people cope with the unavoidable and Inevitable end of everything.

Thank you for inviting us to this different and unusual, but very entertaining production. We had an excellent evening and really enjoyed ourselves.

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