In a field on the outskirts of Glastonbury sit Joel and Dave, recent university graduates, taking any work they can find. In this case, working security at
Checkpoint 22 is a lot of fun and keeps up a friendly, playful essence.
The show is a light-hearted look at graduate life, the struggles of leaving education and how to find your way in the world. Dave Ellis and Joel Ormsby both deliver great performances and show brilliant chemistry together onstage. Ellis plays an excitable and carefree character who appears to always put mates and fun in front of careers and prospects, while Ormsby puts on a level-headed rendering with a clear respect for regulations that wonderfully juxtaposes Ellis's childishness. Together the duo are fantastic to watch and before long you realise you are not watching actors playing their parts, but two real life mates having a laugh on stage. This gives the production a playful atmosphere that really is infectious.
Checkpoint 22 is not without its faults, however. The dialogue, in places, seemed a little rough around the edges. When Joel storms off in a rage at Dave and, when he returns, the two brush over a very brief apology as if to tie up ends quickly and carry on with the hilarity, glossing over such developments when it suits them.
A slightly confusing recurrence is the sudden appearance of a giant squirrel throughout the show. Sometimes, the entrance of this peculiar rodent can be hilarious as Dave reacts in horror, yet occasionally the gag is a little mistimed and doesn't quite provoke the same roar of laughter that it could.
Checkpoint 22 is a lot of fun and keeps up a friendly, playful essence. It just lacks the slickness of a really well-manufactured comedy, and all that is needed is a little more attention to the dialogue. Nevertheless, if you visit Checkpoint 22, you’re bound to have some laughs yourself.
