Comedy is very personal - some of the best comedians can fall flat if it's not your style or you're having a bad day but then some jump out and surprise you right down to your funny bone. So the boys and girls at Umbrage Swain must have caught me on a very good night. The absurd humour, grotesque lumpy characters and the odd time travel dance make this production imperative evening viewing. For a fluffy, manic, bizarre night, this show should have you squeezing your sides to prevent haemorrhaging.
Umbraidge Swain: Explorer, time traveller and owner of really good hair is back to save the world. It's the 80's, there is something going on with an old man..and a diamond - the story is pretty inconsequential really. The sentiment seems to suggest you don't need a story when you have villains like The Darkness, a bumbling confused sidekick with mascara and a rather scantily clad love interest. Oddly it works very very well, travelling through various lands and times and even managing to find its way to the Euro vision song contest. A surprise gem.
If you are looking for Wildean wit and dry satire then maybe this is not your show. However, if you are looking for a big laugh and a big heart then Swain is your man. There should be a place in everyone's life for this brand of humour, if there is not then come drunk. It will be amazing.
