An inspired slice of sketch comedy served up by Laura Curnick and Jack Mosedale, MOTHER is brimming with great ideas and executed by two fantastic comedic talents that should be on everyone’s radar.
One of the tightest comedy performances I’ve seen
Of course, the most important factor in any comedy show how funny it is. Going to see Fringe comedy performances can be dangerous, but you are in safe hands here. I am pleased to report that MOTHER is a genuinely funny show. Some sketches last seconds, some for minutes and others are recurring characters, but none of these overstay their welcome. If any joke doesn’t land, there is already another scene and ridiculous sketch in front of you just waiting to make you chuckle. I can see how jokes about the mystery of Susannah from Trinny and Susannah may not be everyone's cup of tea, luckily it was mine. I would hate to give any punch lines away, but MOTHER has real crackers and probably the best rock, paper, scissors joke you’ll ever see on stage.
The jokes here are big and the characters are bigger. Curnick and Mosedale effortlessly bound between being flamboyant thespians, gruff Ross Kemp-style crime show hosts and northern farmers. Performing mostly in simple grey t-shirts, all the distinguishing features come from the vocal work body language of the two performers. There is no sloppiness in the movement or slips in voice. They don’t crack, corpse or miss a cue. Multiple jokes are even tied into audio cues that synced up so well, it sounds like natural conversation. Frankly, solid production values aren’t what small comedy shows are renowned for, but it is present here.
It is hard to make sketch comedy work on stage and harder to create likeable recurring characters. You can get this, and one of the tightest comedy performances I’ve seen, all for under £10 if you go to see MOTHER. However, I’d recommend catching up on your early 2000s makeover reality shows first.
