Whoever thought a ‘Victorian sketch show’ would work? Humphrey Ker, David Reed and Thom Tuck – The Penny Dreadfuls – that’s who, and they should be applauded for their ingenuity, comic prowess and real comedic innovation.
Something macabre is happening in the city of London. The Brotherhood have built Tower Bridge to use as a temple under the leadership of Mr Frost, who ‘puts a lot of hours in’ to being evil. People are being killed left, right and centre – for reasons, besides the aforementioned evil nature, that I didn’t quite work out (though I didn’t care). Only second-chance copper McAllister, whose first chance was spent when accidentally ignoring ‘Rule Number 1’ of policing (i.e. not shooting a child in the face), and childrens’ author Rufus Hambledon – he of Jeremy Frog (and all its sequels) fame – can save the day.
Hambledon and McAllister embark upon a quest to find Mr Frost and bring him to justice, along the way encountering a colourfully-attired henchman, a newsboy whose entire family appear to have been struck down by polio, an exploding horse and various other ridiculously upright or gloriously nonsensical characters.
Conventional theatrical and filmic tricks are used and then exploded to create something new and fresh, such as the voiced over reading of a letter by an on-stage policeman who can’t read. The Penny Dreadfuls are also fans of word play and no opportunity is lost to invert a phrase or mix contemporary colloquialisms with Victorian English; the only swear word I noticed in the entire show was deployed perfectly.
An exceptional show has been created here. Not only is it at times snortingly funny, but in form, content and structure it is unlike any other sketch show that I have seen. Imagine a crime thriller inside a gothic horror which bypasses action movies and comedies of manners. Add a significant dollop of stupidness, a smattering of silly voices and some expert character comedy and you just about have Aeneas Faversham Forever.
But even then I am doing the show a disservice because the above description makes it sound a bit puerile, when it patently is not. It is intelligent and witty, the characters, the plot and the dialogued are intricately woven and you feel that not a beat is missed as the pace is carried through meticulously.
In short, see the show. Though if you miss it, do not worry; it, or some incarnation of it, will undoubtedly be broadcast at some point soon.
[Oli Seadon]
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