Silliness abounds in this first extended outing for Mona Ravona, Norwich’s most effective (and possibly only) film noir private detective.
Director and writer Andrew Gladman’s script sees Ravona – played by Hannah Wood – caught up in a double-crossing caper featuring some heavily cliched characters, but that’s rather the point.
This parody piles the puns on thick, with Naked Gun inspired comedy names, daft physical jokes, and a dash of slapstick.
Wood attacks it with enthusiasm, hamming up with exaggerated expressions especially during extended ‘mona-logues’ that mine every film noir trope.
There is great support from an extended cast, especially the heel-teetering Susanna T Jones as Goldie Gold, and Ruby Bardwell-Dix as seductive songstress Red.
Jack Garden nearly steals the show as twins Billy the Pigeon and Bobby the Pig, making the most of the challenge – or opportunity – of portraying both characters in the same scene.
There’s a fine line between repetition making a joke funnier or just offering diminishing returns and it is crossed a few times here. The extended monologues make for an interesting conceit at the outset but start to slow the action – which needs to be kept pacey in this sort of show – so it was a relief to see them mostly retired in the second half.
Overall the play fizzes with sharp ideas and represents a successful transition from the character’s sketch origins. And there was just the right amount of shooting.
- The Woman Who Shot People Too Much was at The Garage, Norwich on 2 May 2026.
