Comedy for a Quid

Durham Review
The Assembly Rooms

COMEDY FOR A QUID: caveat emptor, perhaps, but undoubtedly a cunning marketing strategy for a troupe who need to sell a lot of tickets for next month’s ComedyFest at the Gala.

This was undoubtedly an improvement on last term’s show, most notably in terms of the individual performances, which showed a great deal of confidence and energy. Tom Lyons displayed an excellent use of bodily and facial expressions, particularly during a lovely silent cameo in the Crimewatch UK spoof. The most improved of the newcomers was Matt Mulligan, who shone as the unfaithful husband dialling an e-confessional.

This sketch was one of a number of strong early efforts. My favourite was the party game sketch, which was notable for its excellent structuring, producing several reveals in a row, and ending with a lovely punchline. The acting, particularly Liz Smith’s portrayal of a bubbly airhead, was spot on.

Thereafter, things became far more hit and miss. Some of the later sketches stretched their basic premise far beyond its natural life, and some of these premises had little life to begin with: the Jesus sketch felt as old as the Dead Sea Scrolls, while the Bionic Man piece and the spoof of a pretentious luvvie had the odd nice line but felt aimless.

Similarly, the sketch sending up the irritating motivational speakers went on long enough to become as annoying as what it portrayed.

Furtermore, the show as a whole lacked direction. The lighting was pretty pedestrian, and some of the longer sketches in particular suffered from a distinct lack of atmosphere and snap in the exchanges.

For all that, the Revue performed throughout with plenty of their old swagger. It usually takes a few shows for a sketch troupe to gel, and on this evidence the Revue are well on their way.