Crizards review: This Means War is pure fun from beginning to end

Image: Rebecca Need-Menear

If you want to have a guaranteed fun, silly, joyous time, go to see Crizards.

Double act Will Rowland and Eddy Hare, who are hoping to expand their influence as the UK’s lowest energy double act to cover all of Europe, are back after last year’s wonderful cowboy caper with a serious show about war.

This Means War is a vehicle for Eddy to tell the story of his Grandad’s time fighting in The War (don’t think about which one too much), but he hasn’t fact-checked anything “out of respect”. We follow the aptly named Private Grandad — so-called because he’s actually really young — on his journey to deliver an important code-breaking message to Major Nice Guy — because he’s not very nice — meeting a load of crazy characters along the way, all played with unbridled glee by Will.

From a small Belgian boy with an extraordinary capacity for love to Private Grandad’s old friend, he spends the whole show prancing around like a goblin, leaning into the silliest side of himself, which is perfectly balanced by Eddy’s straight-faced, unbending commitment to keeping the story on track. The only time Eddy really smiles is when they hug and that makes me feel really lovely.

Directed by Jordan Brookes, and packed with loads of songs that wouldn’t be out of place in a war movie if it weren’t for the lyrics (“I’ve got more space for bullets because I don’t have a wife”) and so many hats, and hugs, and an extraordinarily haunting prop (no spoilers but it is “god’s most beautiful child”), the show is pure fun from beginning to end.

Crizards have cornered the market in creating heart-filled comedy about friendship, and it wouldn’t work half so well if they weren’t as completely in sync with each other as they are.

You could take This Means War as a commentary on living life with purpose, being true to yourself and not letting a sense of obligation hold you back from pursuing your dreams. I prefer to just enjoy two silly guys being very, very funny in their lovely shirts.

Crizards: This Means War is at the Pleasance Dome (10Dome), at 5:50pm until August 26th. Tickets here.