There are pub quizzes … and then there is the Last Quiz Night on Earth.

The show casts the audience in the role of quizzers as actors stage an hilarious pub quiz played out as an asteroid heads for earth.

The performance at The Welcome Inn in Salford, Robert Hall Street, definitely scored top points with the audience on Thursday night.

Members of the public are invited for a quiz night at the pub by landlady Kathy (played by Meriel Scholfield) and Rav the quizmaster (Shaban Dar) in the comic play written by Alison Carr.

The Manchester-based theatre company, Box of Tricks, made this an immersive and comedic event, and developed its location-based approach.

Its recent productions include Chip Shop Chips set in a chip shop and including actual fish and chips for the audience along the way.

 

Credit: Lucy Matthews

Now, in what seems like a typical pub quiz, set in a typical pub, a pre-apocalyptic comedy unfolds making the audience an integral part of the show.

Rav, played by Shaban Dar, really engaged the public as he encouraged them to get “quizzical”.

Off stage he explained: “The show is about a character called Rav and a landlady who owns this pub and the audience are coming to this pub because the world is coming to an end.

“The audience get to join in and play a quiz as well as go on the character’s journeys with them.”

Shaban Dar as Rav. Image credit: Alex Mead Decoy Media, permission to use by Siobhan Noble.

As the show goes on, he explained, “two characters come in, Fran and Bobby, they instigate things with Kathy and Rav”.

The play follows the character’s journeys as they try to make amends before time on earth is up. Bobby, Kathy’s brother, wants to see his sister one last time whilst Fran wants to declare her love for Rav.

The Last Quiz Night is entertaining but also addresses serious elements, something which Dar said: “It’s got a lot of heartfelt moments and some serious moments as well.”

Credit: Lucy Matthews

Shaban added: “Audience reactions have been brilliant and that’s what we wanted for the first week.”

He said the audience felt like they were watching a TV programme.

During the performance, audiences are able to connect with the characters by watching their struggles and how they plan to fix their problems, such as sibling conflict, before it is too late.

This was the actor’s first time performing in a play that interacts with an audience so much. He also explained how the cast use audience’s reactions to help improvise what happens next.

Credit: Lucy Matthews

The Last Quiz Night opened in Salford last Tuesday and ended on Saturday 16 February. The Spring 2020 tour runs until April 11 across the North West in venues such as pubs, theatre bars and village halls.

For more information such as future venues and tickets visit Box of Tricks website.

 

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