The Last Quiz Night On Earth was a play like I've never experienced before, intertwining the action of the plot with the audience actually participating in the pub quiz throughout the evening, which gave the show an informal feel perfectly suited to theatre in the round.
Walking through the doors into the main auditorium felt like walking into a pub on a Saturday evening, with a soundtrack introducing feelings of nostalgia which was a good introduction to the mood of the play.
The set was simplistic, but effective, and the use of the emergency call over the loud speakers strikes fear into the audience's heart from the outset, as we are warned that 'this is not a test' but 'a world ending event', which cleverly set the scene for what was to come.
I loved how Kathy (Lisa Gorgin) was absolutely bossing the stage from the outset, strutting around and greeting people as they took their seats which firmly established the ground we were walking on as her domain – she is the 'queen of the kingdom' at The Four Horsemen pub.
This play was high in comedy throughout, with all of the audience seeming to enjoy themselves as laughter frequently reverberated around the auditorium, as well as reacting to the action on stage at various intervals which added to the informal feel.
There was a good range of quiz rounds that meant at least some of it should be accessible to everybody, from flags to sports, film and TV to general knowledge, although they certainly delivered on their promise of a hard quiz!
The costumes were simple but they matched their characters well and helped to convey personalities without needing to say anything, and I'm sure we can all agree that Rav's (Ayan Philip) quiz jacket is truly iconic.
On the down side there was the frequent use of strong language, as well as the mention of some more mature themes that I didn't feel the need to include, and for that reason I wouldn't recommend taking children to see the show.
Also, while it doesn't subtract from the actual play itself, it was a little bit confusing to work out what time period the performance is set in, as more recently emerging themes were mentioned, and yet the use of the radio and the old music player made it seem more like late in the 1900s, so it would have been nice if this was made a little bit clearer.
However, there was good acting all round, and Kathy (Lisa Gorgin) has one of the most powerful voices with such depth when she's singing that it was a joy to listen to.
Without giving spoilers, the ending was slightly strange and appeared to end on a cliffhanger, potentially leaving it to the audience to decide what happened.
Parts of the evening seemed to pass a little slower, but all in all it was a fun night, and if you're a fan of the theatre and looking for 'a really good bespoke quiz', then it might just be for you.
The Last Quiz Night On Earth is running at the New Vic Theatre until the 1st of March, 2025. Tickets are available to purchase here.
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