Let’s see, how can I describe this one?
There are a couple of socks that like to sing (up high, mind). Oh, and they’re Scottish (High-voice-landers). And they’re planning a mission to space.
Thing is, I’m not really sure they ever got to space. When your stage is a wobbly tartan window I suppose it can be difficult to give the feel of galaxies far, far away. Not to mention that waffling – what socks are prone to do when you give them a voice – is fairly counter-productive to space exploration. Luckily, there’s a good show in the waffle – an hour-long Smothers Brothers/Two Ronnies escapade so tangential you can’t believe it’s been scripted. The waffling tangents included medlies (horror movie clichés, the upsides of being a sock), sci-fi movie history and lots of punny sock-on-sock bickering.
Note to parents: I like my ‘sweary words’ in full-blown Technicolor, not stifled by the presence of young ears. It’s true we’re talking about sock puppets with googly eyes, but that sign next to the listing means ‘Parental Guidance’, not bring your kids (though I’ll admit, the parent/child logo is confusing). Happily, the socks thought on their feet and were quick to capitalise on the unmined comedy gold that surfaces when you let your young’uns interact with innuendo-spouting puppets – who else would think ‘Bob’ was a suitable name for a spaceship? They then suggested Fred as a conciliatory gesture, to the socks’ chagrin.
In the end, the closest they get to space is donning Trekkie and Jedi costumes and re-enacting the Obi-Wan(ker)nobi/Darth Vader duel with bendy straws and falsetto humming. My face hurt from smiling; most of this {sweary-word} is hilarious, probably even more so during an adults-only viewing. I should be able to deconstruct why a cut-out David Bowie on a stick lamenting old age and singing about starlings in a croaky Brummie accent is funny, but alas, it just is. Go see for yourself, preferably back to back with the new Star Trek for an extra-special postmodern viewing experience.
