The brilliant mind of Antoine Feval is brought to life on the Main Theatre stage of the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Thursday night, Feb. 16.
Through the dim-witted gaze of the well-meaning Barnaby Gibbs, the "shaggy dog" story plays out deliciously in this comedic tour de force.
Performed by British comedian Chris Gibbs, the show introduces audiences to Antoine Feval, described as “Victorian England’s most overlooked detective."
His character, Barnaby Gibbs, is a huge Sherlock Holmes fan.
We meet him as he's checking on a friend's empty house when he stumbles across a strange man dressed all in black in the bedroom. The stranger is trying to write a poem about sapphires while holding a bag full of stolen belongings.
Only one conclusion a reasonable person could come to — that this person is the notorious cat-burglar, who has been robbing Victorian England blind, known as the Rhyming Bandit.
Fortunately for the thief, Gibbs is not a reasonable man, and when the stranger tells him that he is actually the famous detective Antoine Feval a new crime-fighting duo is born.
Gibbs has honed a masterpiece in Antoine Feval in a way that manages to be both ridiculous and intelligent.
The clueless young Englishman does not realize that his new partner is actually the master thief who's been robbing the city blind.
It's a story that will certainly entertain, and deliver on laughs.
Bringing quick wit, stand-up and improv skills to bear, as well as an insouciant irreverence, he plays a kind-hearted man who believes he’s the sidekick to a very famous Victorian detective.
Beginning his career in 1991 as a performer on the streets of London, Chris Gibbs has toured extensively as a stand-up comedian and improviser, written and performed five hit, award-winning shows, has been a regular guest on NBC’s comedy series ‘Howie Do It’, has played at Just For Laughs and the Winnipeg Comedy Festivals, starred in the Canadian indie feature ‘Run Robot Run,’ and is even a published author. This busy multi-talented comedian performs every Wednesday with The National Theatre of the World in the Canadian Comedy Award-winning improv troupe, The Carnegie Hall Show.
Antoine Feval, 8 p.m. on Feb. 16, at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre.
604.391.SHOW(7469) or www.chilliwackculturalcentre.ca