Secrets of The Simpsons – Stories and Scandals from Springfield An Evening With Mike Reiss at The Gatehouse Theatre, London Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Janine Rumble

If you are a fan of the long running American TV series The Simpsons, love all things Simpsons, want to hear behind the scenes stories and secrets from The Simpsons and want to find out the answer to that eternal question…how do The Simpsons predict the future? Then, have I got a show for you! It’s a 2 hour long (with interval) secret spilling, laugh out loud funny, yet educational too, show called Secrets of The Simpsons – Stories and Scandals from Springfield – An Evening with Mike Reiss.

Mike Reiss is a comedy producer who won four Emmys during his thirty-six years writing movie scripts, American TV shows and countless episodes of The Simpsons. He is also a very, very funny and likeable guy who spends much of his time on cruise ships performing this show. It was on the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship that he was persuaded to bring himself laugh out loud show to the UK.

Last night, was opening night at the Upstairs at the Gatehouse Theatre in Highgate, North London. A small venue, which gave the show and more intimate and immediate feel. It made you feel like you were listening to a family member telling you a story. It also made you feel very aware that he could see you clearly and see your reactions to his stories!

Mike Reiss is a very clever man, educated at Harvard, who became a writer. He tells tales of his life, a fantastical life, interspersed with photos and short clips, all told in an extremely humourous way. He is a naturally funny, self-deprecating man, who is genuinely funny, who I think is still surprised at the life he has led, the experiences he has had and the people he has met along the way. He goes into great detail about The Simpsons, giving insider knowledge on how The Simpsons first came into being, to how each episode comes together. Did you know that it can take between 9 months to a year for an episode to be made!?! He talks about the other writers, where he and they got their inspiration from for the show and he talks proudly about the show’s achievements. He also talks about the films that he has written for, including the Ice Age movies. He talks about the highs and the lows, dropping a few names along the way for good measure.

In the second half of the show he talks about the art, math and the science of comedy script writing “The Science of Jokes”. He looks at what makes something funny, why people find it funny and how to write something funny. This is a great lesson for any would be comedy writers as he has written over fifty thousand jokes in his lifetime.

It was a really interesting and funny night. The audience joined in, they laughed, they asked interesting questions during the question and answer segment at the end and Mike answered them very honestly and in a very funny way. The audience was made up of fans of The Simpsons, writers and people who have seen Mike Reiss perform on the cruise ships. There really is something for everyone. I don’t want to say too much, or else it might take away from the evening, all I will say is that I would recommend it and give it 5/5 stars.

Rating: 5/5

Secrets of The Simpsons is on at The Plaza Theatre Stockport on July 29th at 7.30pm. Tickets can be purchased online at www.stockportplaza.co.uk

At The Crescent Theatre in Birmingham on 30th July at 7.30pm. Tickets can be purchased online at www.crescent-theatre.co.uk

Back in London at Upstairs at the Gatehouse Theatre on 2nd and 3rd August. Tickets can be purchased online at www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com

And finally, in Brighton at Komedia on 6th August at 7.30pm. Tickets can be purchased online at www.komedia.co.uk

Tickets are priced from £20 but vary from theatre to theatre, so please check out their website.

Information about the show (but not tickets) can be found at ovationuk.com