This summer, cult immersive comedy 'Speed: The Movie, The Play' screeches back into Perth for Fringe World, where it will quietly hit a ridiculous milestone: its 250th performance.
That’s 250 times recreating a 1994 Hollywood action film using cardboard props, lo-fi special effects and pure theatrical nerve — all on an actual bus.
Created by Brisbane-based theatre company Act React, the show debuted at the Brisbane Comedy Festival in 2015 and has since racked up more than 230 performances around the country, selling roughly 7,000 tickets along the way.
Perth audiences were among the first outside Queensland to hop on board, with seasons in 2017 and 2020 helping cement the city’s reputation as one of the show’s most enthusiastic fan bases.
“It’s been six long years since we’ve fired up the bus in Perth,” producer and co-writer Natalie Bochenski says. “And I can’t think of a better place to celebrate 250 performances.”
This season also marks several firsts for the production.
“For the first time, we have an all-Perth cast, with seven dynamic local actors taking on the roles — and creating all the low-budget special effects live on stage,” Bochenski says.
“It also means we can run for the entire four-week Fringe World season, based in the fabulous hub of The Pleasure Garden.”
Act React has once again partnered with the Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia, using the beautifully restored 1977 Mercedes-Benz bus MTT 171 as the show’s performance space.
“A portion of every ticket sold goes to this wonderful not-for-profit organisation, whose volunteers lovingly restore and preserve these incredible vehicles,” Bochenski continues.
“Over the past decade, 'Speed: The Movie, The Play' has donated more than $15,000 to bus preservation groups around Australia.”
If all goes to plan, the 250th performance will be the second show on Saturday 24 January — although, as Bochenski notes, the show’s outdoor nature means weather has a habit of keeping everyone on their toes.
“Given the number of wild weather cancellations we’ve had over the years — storms, rain, wind, heatwaves — we really should be celebrating 275 shows in Perth!”
'Speed: The Movie, The Play' plays The Pleasure Garden (Fringe World) 21 January-15 February.
