Sometimes a show just leaves you in despair and unfortunately These Is Your Lifes is one of them. An attempt at stand up comedy from Patch Hyde and David Hardcastle barely succeeded in ever raising a laugh in the painfully lengthy fifty minute set.
The two were embarrassingly upstaged by hecklers in the audience who displayed admirable (and superior) sharpness, wit and timing.
One of the multiple flaws is that there were huge sections in which there was a complete lack of direction and it appeared to be simply the ramblings of the two characters without any clear attempt at comedy. On the surprise occasions that either meandered into a narrative, it took so long to get to anything that vaguely resembled a punchline or conclusion that all attention had been lost. Or there was no apparent punchline and we are still left waiting for it when the narrative has ended. The set could have been vastly improved by shortening most sections, sharpening almost every joke and increasing the density of gags in the writing.
The material itself lacks any comic ingredients: no identifiably funny premise, no wit, no larger-than-life impressions, no astute observations, not even any wordplay. Any material that could have been vaguely entertaining was usually butchered via a delivery that lacked timing, composure or any real conviction.
The two were embarrassingly upstaged by hecklers in the audience who displayed admirable (and superior) sharpness, wit and timing. The go-to response from the two men was simply "Fuck off!" which aptly displays their vast inventiveness, though the timing could not be faulted. One section, in which a male audience member is forced to play Juliet in the balcony scene, was similarly embarrassing as they ripped into him for not being a good enough actor. The sketch relied on its drag element, something which might raise a chuckle at the start but not enough to carry a whole section.
The two should probably stick to their professions of graphic design and fudge-making, because on the evidence of this show, there appears to be little hope in the world of comedy. It is free, but save your energy, there is not a lot to see here.
