A varied hour of eclectic, jovial merriment, where fun is made out of everything and everyone
Acclaimed writing duo Elliott Campion and Teddy Robson are back with a brand new production, which has been playing at the Hen & Chickens Theatre in Islington this festive season.
The pair performed their debut piece Mourning Overnight in 2019, which they took to the Edinburgh Fringe.
The Half-Cocked Sketch Show is their latest outing, and it is a varied hour of eclectic, jovial merriment, where fun is made out of everything and everyone. Ideal material for the Edinburgh Fringe, where it will end up once again in August 2024.
Sketches jump from close-up observational humour that poke fun at everyday occurrences, to abstract ‘what-if’s’, ranging from physical absurdist moments to dialogue-driven satirical epics.
Sketch comedy is a notoriously difficult genre to get right, and it is impossible to please everyone. From The Two Ronnies to Little Britain to The Catherine Tate Show, all sketch comedy shows have some skits/characters that really tickle your funny bones, and some that simply are not in tune with your sense of humour. There was one sketch which appeared to be based on a film I have heard of but not seen and nor do I know the plot of it. Without this knowledge, the sketch was of no appeal at all.
The sketches that work the best are the ones involving common everyday topics which everyone observes and can relate to. Topics such as job interviews, TV news duos pretending to like each other and large organisations (in this case Scotland Yard) going absurdly far out of their way to publicly demonstrate how inclusive they are.
Gangsters discuss pronouns during a vocabulary lesson, catchy Shania Twain tunes feature in a couple of the sketches and Hugh Grant’s foppishness is gently ribbed. There really is something for everyone.
The stand-out sketch is one where they dress as a pair of overly posh twenty-somethings who pose, dress and (pretend to) speak as though they are working class. These types have always been around but are becoming more and more prevalent, and often look like they are having a bizarre existential crisis. More of this please.
Campion and Robson bounce off each other well, and the show is fun, energetic, and witty. If all goes to plan it will end up at the Edinburgh Fringe again in 2024. It will definitely need a few tweaks and improvements, but there is plenty of time before then to polish it and make it shine.