Speed: The Movie, The Play

[ozbob]

FYI

Speed: The Movie, The Play

http://brisbanepowerhouse.org/events/2015/03/03/speed-the-movie-the-play/

There's a bomb on a bus. If the bus drops below 50 miles an hour, it blows up. What do you do!? What do you do?

Climb aboard our 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.

There's a mad bomber on the loose, and your ride to work is about to get a lot more explodey. If 90s buses came with seat belts, we'd definitely suggest you fasten them.

Warning: contains Hollywood-ish special effects and jokes about Keanu Reeves' career.

MR

Brisbane audiences are encouraged to jump onboard Speed the Movie the Play.

Pop quiz, hotshot.

There's a bomb on a bus. If the bus drops below 50 miles an hour, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?

It's been 20 years since Keanu Reeves and Dennis Hopper went head to head in the action thriller Speed. Now the film
comes to life at the Brisbane Comedy Festival, with the premiere season of Speed the Movie the Play.

In what some might call a loving homage - and others a shameless parody - Brisbane theatre company Act/React will
recreate the film onboard an actual bus parked in front of the Brisbane Powerhouse.

"Speed is such a great popcorn movie," said co-creator Dan Beeston.

"It's a big, fast, dumb blockbuster that takes itself so seriously. Having loved it as teens, we now feel it's time to bring it
back – and mock it relentlessly."

Fellow creator Greg Rowbotham said the 90s had already experienced a revival in music and fashion, but film was a
natural next step.

"Speed actually relied on quite complex technology for the time, such as Dennis Hopper's bombs, huge mobile phones
and the tracking software they use," he said. "But now, we watch it and laugh. We know if Speed were remade today,
the passengers would all be tweeting and taking selfies with their smartphones."

The innovative presentation onboard a vintage 1974 Volvo B59 bus is the result of a partnership between Act/React
and the Queensland Omnibus and Coach Society, a not-for-profit group of dedicated enthusiasts who collect and
preserve buses from days gone by.

"Our friends at QOCS have been excited since we first described the idea to them. They really got what we wanted to
do," Rowbotham said. "It's a win/win situation, as we get to play with audiences onboard this beautiful 40-year-old
vehicle, and help raise the profile of this wonderful community organisation."

Speed is renowned for some of its eye-popping stunts, including a famous jump across a 15-metre- gap in a highway.

"We wanted to do the bus jump but the insurance premiums are just prohibitive," Beeston said.

"Like all the special effects, we'll be doing our own version on a shoestring budget. But we think audiences will still be
delighted at the end result."

Speed the Movie the Play runs at the Brisbane Comedy Festival, Brisbane Powerhouse,
from Tuesdayto Sunday March 3 to 15.

For inquiries or interviews contact Natalie on 0418 728 425 or email
natalie@actreact.com.au