Back again, the world's longest running comedy show has returned to sell out audiences once more. Our team of superheroes are ready to jump on many of our pathetic, error prone, self absorbed and plain stupid celebrities and politicians! Sounds like a cracking hour of hysterical laughter and enjoyment. Except its not. Well, not completely anyway.
For those who were venturing to Canal Cafes production for the first time, there were enough put downs of Heather Mills, Gordon Brown and our clumsy Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Shariah Williams to prompt hysterical laughter and a feeling of general humorous comfort as they left the theatre. But those of us whod seen the formula work wonders on audiences in past years, were left feeling that it had all become a bit stale. Take the actors diction for example clumsy at times, I defy anyone who caught a word of the opening song about Zimbabwe. The show was also filled with some very dated sketches references to Anne Robinson particularly so, whilst the rather crude jokes (and it takes an effort on my part to say that) about Heath Ledger were actually met more by silence than laughter.
Dont get me wrong, NewsRevue as always will probably sell out every night and please nearly all who want to watch someone impersonate Gavin Henson shaving his balls. But for those of you who are a little more daring, there are plenty of things out there which are both far more courageous and filled with rawer and weightier proverbials!