Norfolk sketch company the Earlham Bus Incident is producing its first full length production, putting a comic twist on the film noir genre.
We caught up with writer and director Andrew Gladman ahead of the show’s 2 May debut at The Garage in Norwich.
What’s the play about?
The Woman Who Shot People Too Much is a parody of classic film noir, featuring Norwich’s greatest private detective, Mona Ravona. Mona started her life in comedy sketches performed by the Earlham Bus Incident, but this is her first full-length solo adventure.
The play sees Mona tasked with tracking down a missing gangster, before she finds herself framed for a murder so deadly somebody died from it. Now Mona must crack two cases at once, clear her own name and answer the question that has always haunted her – why does her internal monologue sound so different from her actual voice?
With so many genres to pick, what attracted you to noir?
As a comedy writer, I like to think I have my finger on the pulse – I’m constantly tapping into ideas that are fresh and relevant. And a film genre that’s barely been touched in the last 70 years is exactly that.
Fifteen is a big cast. Sounds like it could be a frenetic production?
That’s a great point and, let me tell you, one of the very first things I did, almost immediately after reading this question, was look up what “frenetic” means. According to Google, it’s “fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way.” So I’d have to say no, it’s not frenetic, because it’s actually been fast and energetic in a rather wild but still very, very controlled way.
That’s partly because I’m working with Norwich’s greatest co-producer, Hannah Wood (who is also our fabulous lead actress), probably the most organised and dedicated collaborator I’ve ever had on any project ever. But it’s also down to all our cast and crew being so focused and so committed to putting absolutely everything into making this show as great as it can possibly be.
How much is scripted and how much will be improvised?
The script is almost entirely my own creation – almost, because it also includes an original song by the amazing Susanna T. Jones, who is a far greater lyrical genius than I could ever hope to be, as well as a few jokes contributed by other cast members. But the important thing, as far as I’m concerned, is that the title page says “A play by Andrew Gladman.” So there.
Norwich is home to several wonderful improv troupes, but the Earlham Bus Incident is not one of them. Scriptwriting has always been at the heart of our work and the play is no exception. The world of Mona Ravona runs on quickfire, pun-laden back-and-forths, so it is all very tightly scripted without much room for improvisation. Having said that, we have the endlessly hilarious Jack Garden on the cast, which is pretty much a guarantee some improv is making it into the show.
Where did the company name, Earlham Bus Incident, come from?
On 3 March 1988, a bus fell into a sinkhole on Earlham Road in what was a totally unpredictable freak accident… or so they say. Shortly after the incident, a photo of the bus in the sinkhole was used by Cadbury in their advertising campaign for Double Decker chocolate bars. “Nothing fills a hole like a Double Decker” their humorous advert read.
But here’s what the mainstream media won’t tell you – Double Decker sales were on the verge of collapse by the end of 1987. The chocolate bar was facing an extinction-level threat, Cadbury faced with the financial and reputational devastation of losing one of their key brands. Suddenly, a bus ends up in a sinkhole and, one funny advert later, Double Decker is a world-leading chocolate bar. Feels a little too convenient, doesn’t it? I tried to start the hashtag #CadburyDidTheEarlhamBusIncident, but it was such a low-stakes conspiracy theory that nobody really cared. Nobody, that is, except a band of plucky sketch comedians.
This is the company’s first original play, but you’re now in your fourth year. What else might people know you for?
The Earlham Bus Incident is Norwich’s premier sketch troupe. Since 2023, we have been producing and performing original scripted sketch comedy at venues including Bowling House, the Alec Bussey Scout Centre, the Garage, the Puppet Theatre, the Alec Bussey Scout Centre, St Mary’s Works and the Alec Bussey Scout Centre.
We have put on shows for Queerfest four years running, performed sketches at various Norwich variety nights and have staged several of our own sketch/variety shows, including The Usual Buspects, Ghost Bus Tours and last December’s Double Deck the Halls.
With 25-ish members and three-and-a-bit years experience under our belts, we are the largest and longest running troupe performing scripted sketch comedy in Norwich today.
We also stuck a bus in a sinkhole for a shedload of money from Cadbury back in the 1980s.
Finally: how much shooting is too much?
This is really the key question posed by the play and it’s one I hope the audience will spend some time contemplating when they leave the theatre.
In truth, isn’t any amount of shooting too much? That’s certainly the line I’ll be pushing to any whiny audience members who dare to approach me after the show, saying “I didn’t think she shot people that much!” Oh, really? You think there’s a certain amount of shooting people that’s perfectly acceptabWell, fine, but please keep well away from me…
