There’s a bomb on a bus. If the bus drops below 50 miles an hour, it blows up. What do you do!?
Climb aboard the vintage B59 Volvo for this shameless homage to the 1994 action thriller 'Speed', the film which proved once and for all the best drama is on public transport. Warning: contains Hollywood-ish special effects and jokes about Keanu Reeves’ career.
1. Co-creators Greg, Dan and Natalie conceived the idea of a live-action version of 'Speed' in early July 2014, but thought it would be impossible or prohibitively expensive to acquire a bus for performance. But in a twist of fate just two days later, Natalie met members of the not-for-profit Queensland Omnibus and Coach Society at the Teneriffe Festival, and a partnership was born.
2. The bus is a vintage, silver Volvo B59 built in South Australia in 1978, moved to the Sunshine Coast in the 1990s and retired in 2003. QOCS is dedicated to preserving and restoring historic buses, and the partnership with the show will fund brand new tyres for the B59.
3. The script for the 1994 movie 'Speed' is credited to Graham Yost, but it was one of the first overhauled by a young, script doctor called Joss Whedon, who is responsible for such classic lines as “Pop quiz, hotshot” and “Poor people are crazy, I’m eccentric”.
4. The plot involves a bomb planted on a bus that will explode if the vehicle drops below 50 miles an hour. Directed by Jan de Bont, it cemented Keanu Reeves as an action star, gave Dennis Hopper swathes of scenery to chew on and introduced the world to Sandra Bullock.
5. In 'Speed The Movie The Play', a team of eight actors will utilise Hollywood-ish special effects to bring the action to life. Expect collisions, explosions, fight scenes and more, all done in full, low-fi glory. Audience members will become the passengers on the bus, and some will even play key roles in helping drive the story.
'Speed: The Movie, The Play' is part of the Brisbane Comedy Festival at the Brisbane Powerhouse 3-8 March and 10-15 March.
