As soon as you first step inside the Gold Digger, you know you’re in for a wild ride. Looking like some kind of cross between a young Billy Connolly and a fairly famous religious figure, Cam Venn is wearing only tighty whities and a grin. He kindly welcomes us to the show and then immediately climbs inside the enormous foam shark that lays in front of him.

This is the long and winding tale of a boy and his shark, Charlie and Terry, told over the stretch of 40 years. The two are quite literally thick as thieves and end up in dire straits after a heist gone seriously wrong. Charlie ends up in the slammer. Terry is shot down in action. Twenty years pass and now there’s one last job. Is Charlie up for the task? And is Terry really sleeping with the fishies?

Shark Heist is a wonderfully chaotic experience. It’s an action movie homage like you’ve never seen before – montage scenes and all.

It’s a show that somehow features both extensive use of shadow puppets and sexy dancing. No matter what’s happening at any moment, Cam Venn commits wholeheartedly. Venn’s devotion to his mad craft and endless sense of play is entrancing – and you can’t help but want to join in too.

This show can’t possible happen without constant audience involvement. Whether the whole audience is mimicking alarm sounds, or chosen members are assisting on-stage (kudos to a particularly brilliant Terry, jewel shifting mime, and disgruntled security guard in our performance), it’s rare to see such looks of genuine joy. It’s a wonder to see Venn allowing the audience to get in touch with their inner child for an hour.

Shark Heist is endlessly entertaining and just pure fun. Yet through the story and playing with the audience, the show carries deeper morals of inclusivity and kindness towards your fellow man (or shark). You’ll leave the Gold Digger feeling warmer than a man standing proudly in his tighty-whities. Charlie and Terry would want it that way.