It is a rarity for a Fringe show to give away freebies, so being offered a coffee and a croissant at the Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show was a pleasant surprise. After that, the quality of the show deteriorated. It transpired to be a sketch show, more specifically, five sketches within an hour. All the sketches seemed to drag on for too long and it was clear that the audience lost its concentration a few minutes before each of them was about to come to an end. The actors varied in performance quality, ranging from satisfactory to very good. However, their effort was entirely let down by the writing.
The show kicked off with a sketch about suicide; it was both highly inappropriate in a number of ways – one of which was that it trivialised the subject matter - and unoriginal. The ‘should I/shouldn’t I’ jump dilemma isn’t merely overused, but also not funny and insensitive. Moreover, the sketch was an awkward viewing experience for the audience, as it was performed on the auditorium stairs, making visibility problematic.
The next sketch came off to a more promising start as a slightly geeky office girl receives a Valentine card from a secret admirer. There were plenty of jokes in this one and the audience were clearly enjoying the whole thing. However, the sketch did not end as pleasantly as it began. Without giving away the ending, I will just say that the way the final revelation is portrayed came across as offensive.
Although some of the other sketches were a better, the vast majority stretched on for too long given the story lines they were based on. It is worth stressing again, however, that the actors were good, for the most part, and it was evident that they were capable of far more than this.This is a good morning show if you’re out for a chuckle, as long as you don’t look into it too much.
