When the average person thinks of student comedy they automatically think of the glory days of the Cambridge Footlights and then maybe the Oxford Revue. But over the past few years other universities have been challenging this presumption by upping their own comedy game. The Leeds Tealights are definite contenders. With their latest offering for the Fringe they have produced a funny and intelligent show.This is a strong show where the sketches rarely feel as if they overrun and the group manages to maintain their energy throughout. The opening sketch, a dance routine, is a brilliant and exuberant start. There are a range of sketches and the cast play many different characters, really challenging themselves. Although it would have been nice to see Annie McGrath dominate more sketches seeing as she is the only girl amongst four guys - and she should have taken a bow at the end, don’t deny the woman her rights!By no means is it a flawless show as there were many times when the cast were put off their stride by people forgetting lines or props going wrong, which is a shame as they could have used these mishaps for greater laughs. Indeed, some of the sketches were better than others; for example the Bond sketch was a bit predictable, and the Coca Cola sketch fell a little, ahem, flat. But they all managed to get laughs throughout, especially from The Film Pitching sketch and the One Tree Hill sketch, which were utterly hilarious. Patrick Turpin only needs to stand on the stage to provoke giggles from the audience as well as the groans when he licked the other cast members’ faces, which was grotesque as well as amusing. The sketches were also interlinked nicely, with brilliant musical interludes.It’s jolly good fun; watch out Oxbridge, You might get burned!
