When you see a comedian get a laugh from taking a sip of water you know they’ve got good timing. In Fact, Emma Sidi inhibits her characters so much they all seem to drink water differently. It’s a small touch in a show filled with brilliant small touches.
Character Breakdown is a great showcase of Sidi’s considerable talent
Character Breakdown is a great showcase of Sidi’s considerable talent. Each character is distinct and her voice work is impeccable. If you were to close your eyes during the show, you would swear there was more than one actor during the performance.
Sadly the show is underwritten. All the jokes seem to come from a similar thought process, so you can start to second-guess when they are going to arrive. Essentially every character is an idiot with varying degrees of likeability, explaining their life or telling a story to the audience. At one point, there is a lecture, and this proves to be the best part of the show partly because it takes a different form to everything that has come before.
Each character transition is punctuated with some dancing. This works great at first but starts to falter as the show goes on as the dancing becomes too similar and doesn’t link thematically with the characters.
Emma Sidi is brimming with talent and is destined for great things. If you want to see great acting you won’t go wrong with Character Breakdown. If you want some laughs there is plenty to be had but there is a lack of side splitters.
