Fandango, the Kids with Beards allege, means party. I don't think it does actually, it's a type of dance, nonetheless their show certainly is a pretty good party. It's a fast paced sketch show performed by six confident, well timed, engaging performers.
Such is the nature of sketch shows, some are funny, some are only funny to the creator's pen
Although often situational, the sketches tend towards the screwball end of the spectrum with plenty of silly characterisations and daft dances. An early Eurovision sketch by the two bearded girls of the troupe is one of the most memorable. Hailing from the proud Eastern European country of Recordia they have perfected the art of nasal recorder playing and present a tightly performed double act of national stereotyping and audience harassment. I did wonder if the women they attacked with an inflatable globe suffered from asphyxiation at any point. The best of the sketches were often the shortest: an awkward bus stop encounter with a feckless mother and her baby named Ibiza and a micro sketch involving a little harmless childhood incest both drew huge laughs from the room. Kids with Beards don't take themselves too seriously and there were some funny, industry-aware sketches that had me laughing. The subject of bad reviews worked itself into a nice little piece and the hit and miss nature of improv also came under fire.
Not all of the sketches did it for me, some, such as the shadow puppeteer war veteran might have been good if shorter and tighter scripted but ended up being over-laboured. Some, such as the Prime Minister's son and the Shark family just didn't seem to hit the mark. Such is the nature of sketch shows, some are funny, some are only funny to the creator's pen. With a more thoughtful curation of sketches this group has the performance skills to be very good. They bounce off each other well and are very likeable.
Fandango is a fun night out, you might not be bowled over by it but you won't regret going.
