The show gets off to a slick and simple start by introducing each member of HyHo Productions to the stage. Tom Hyland, James Meyer and Harry Stone all have effortless charm and their three styles work well together to deliver a balanced mix of polished acting and silly faces.
They cover stock themes such as talent shows and Catholic priests, which are entertaining enough and well performed but nothing too special. At times they tantalise the audience with a more interesting premise but don’t quite follow through on quality. The Hogwarts Polytechnic sketch, for example, is a pretty promising idea that just isn’t used too well - it seems the only difference at this school is that the sorting hat is drunk.
Elsewhere, there’s a great Henry VIII sketch that’s played through the PA, the actors managing in this case to hold attention even with an empty stage and a wonderful final joke right at the end that relies on a clever bit of audience participation. The trio shows strong skills throughout when it comes to interaction with the crowd, all three of them conjuring up a natural rapport with the room from the start.
The HyHo Productions team have the basis for a great show, possessing the essential foundations of talented performers with an easy chemistry and a fair amount of wit. It’s a shame they don’t quite have the writing skills to match. Even the stronger sketches stumble towards an ending and don’t really deliver in terms of structure or any kind of payoff. For the purposes of any future shows they should perhaps consider roping in some outsiders to give them a hand with the content, but continue to keep the stage to themselves. Oh, and change the title.
