For anyone who knows the first thing about the history of Edinburgh Fringe, and indeed, comedy itself, you should already be familiar with Cambridge Footlights and its roster of alumni which will doubtless include many of your heroes. Hoping to follow in the not-so-light footsteps of Cleese, Cook, Fry..., this iteration of the team are Jemima Langdon, Izzie Harding-Perrott, Joy Adeogun, Libby Thornton and 'token male' Daniel Patten.
Each of these performers truly earned their place in this prestigious meritocracy of a lineup
Seeing a renowned troupe populated with a ratio of 4-1 in favour of women was incredibly refreshing, and no audience member could have doubted for a second that each of these performers truly earned their place in this prestigious meritocracy of a lineup.
While sketch shows from lesser known performers could well be the most hit-and-miss subgenre of comedy, these as-yet-unknown youngsters truly lived up to the legacy initiated by their illustrious predecessors. Each of the actors added their own personal touch to proceedings. The writing was generally strong, and performances expressive throughout, with each cast member using their voice, facial expressions and timing to great effect.
Standouts for me were the Idle-esque Izzie - whose quirky tones and manic eyes harkened back to Nudge Nudge, as her performances breathed life into scripts that might not have appeared to go anywhere on paper - and the immensely watchable Jemima, who played the widest range of characters expertly and provided the only dose of musical comedy.
While a good quarter of the hour provided the top level of laughs you'd hope from a sketch show, with highlights including a missile skit and Derren Brown on kids TV, another quarter felt like they'd padded the show out without pushing for the best they could do. With a range of comedy styles from long skits, one liners, sight gags, silent comedy and a lovely little number about envelope gremlins, this one is a good bang for your buck. Another five to ten years, attendees will doubtless have the opportunity to brag, "Oh, yes, I saw her back at the Fringe before you'd ever heard of her (or him)". Though I can't yet say which of them you'll be referring to. With any luck, the whole bunch.
