Fresh from the Cambridge Footlights,
All the ingredients for a Fringe hit – it just needs a little bit more cooking.
The three have a seemingly irrepressible energy, and each sketch snaps effortlessly into the next. Some sketches feel a little messy, but this is actually to the show’s advantage: the atmosphere is charged but loose, MacKeith, Pope and Fraser relaxed performers with great chemistry. And, for the most part, the writing is undeniably sharp. There are very clever sketches involving a brainstorm for rom-com titles and a support group for people whose last names are first names, among other witty and original offerings. The trio are unafraid to be silly, and some of their material is as bizarre as it is brilliant.
These great ideas are sometimes dragged on for a couple of seconds too long, however, and often sketches that work lose their shine after recurring once (or twice) too often. And while it’s clear that the three are having fun and giving it their all, occasionally they find the sketches funnier than we do. There is clearly something very good at play here, but they almost seem to run out of steam.
There is plenty to enjoy here, though. There is excellent timing, intelligent writing, and three very funny men. A fun and quirky sketch show with all the ingredients for a Fringe hit – it just needs a little bit more cooking.
