Veritable veterans of the Fringe, NewsRevue return with their unique whirlwind tour of the last year’s current affairs. As the turnover of actors and writers is even faster than that of the politicians they deride, one might expect that some troupes would be wide off the mark and as a result, that the act might flounder. However, this simply isn’t the case. By my estimation, they manage to perform 36 sketches in under an hour, which is in itself impressive. What’s even more admirable is that, in roasting everything from the Pope to Jordan’s lady garden (an unfortunate turn of phrase, I grant you), the hit rate of the sketches is near flawless, bridging the gap seamlessly between tattle and real, biting satire. The fleeting occasions when there is a hint of a tanking joke, the actors are skilled enough to whip the carpet from beneath the audience’s feet and glide on to the next sketch in the full knowledge that the peerless writing guarantees a laugh around the corner.To suggest that NewsRevue are solely interested in laughs, though, would be folly. Theirs is a comedy with an agenda of holding the rich and powerful to account. More than this there is a wonderful refusal to take any prisoners. References to Anders Breivik and Kate McCann constitute some of the darker moments of the hour but there is no sense of their allusions being unnecessary or gratuitous. While some sketches should soon be consigned to the archives, the overwhelming majority of the show is militantly fresh. In all, NewsRevue deserves its awesome reputation and is unmissable for current affairs aficionados and general punters alike.
