Over the course of an hour, Canal Cafe Theatre manage to shape the politics of this year into an hour of songs and sketches that feel fun and fresh. If you’ve been keeping up with the news lately – or, realistically, if you have a pulse – you’ll probably know what
This show is great fun, no matter how jaded you are by 24-hour news.
I think it’s pretty safe to say that most – if not all – of what we see in the news has been drained of impact through endless, 24-hr-cycle repetition. NewsRevue manages to pump some new life back in. The players of Canal Cafe Theatre perform great sketches and songs, and they squeeze in some really biting comedy without being overly offensive. Where a lot of the comedy at the Fringe this year has been pretty safe, or too much, this show rides the line separating ‘adventurous’ and ‘offensive’ perfectly, not delivering material that is too much, and not being too soft either. The result is a truly entertaining hour of comedy.
Overall, their songs were a little better than their sketches with their inventive lyrics, whereas some of the sketches left something to be desired. Regardless, all the skits were pretty short, so if something fell flat it was quickly whisked off stage by the next bit. The production was really tight and there was little to no lag between sketches and songs – when there had to be a lag it was filled with a funny headline read over the house speakers. The music on stage (performed by a live pianist) was on-point, and so were the lights. The whole production felt very well put together and very well performed.
What is great about this show is that they feel fresh and original in their commentary, despite the over-circulation of the news. This show is great fun, no matter how jaded you are by 24-hour news.
