“Absurd and rapid fire Sketch Comedy that leaves you wanting more”
We walk into the room with a dancing Bourbon biscuit, who is quickly killed. A whodunnit commences as a host of biscuit based characters (and a Jaffa Cake) appear to us in between some unrelated and very surreal sketches.
Biscuit Barrel bring a high energy hour of sketches to the Fringe, with their signature challenge of showcasing sixty-nine sketches in one hour. What this allows for is a frantic show in which the sketches come thick and fast. Each sketch gets the punchline out quickly and we are left no room for breath before the next has started. The sketches are well written, and balance a nice mix of surrealist, deadpan and dark humour. We cover vast grounds from the aforementioned whodunnit through an overenthusiastic Dyson hand dryer and all the way to a deadly game of Is It Cake? There is a brilliantly worked eclectic mix of sketches that work to keep the momentum up for the hour of the show.
The energy is brought primarily from the performers. They all bring a frenetic pacing to the piece, while never overshadowing someone else’s moment in the limelight. This is a well drilled, tight group of performers that work well together. Each has a wonderful comic timing and can play a joke far beyond the moment that the laughs should stop. They also know when to push a sketch that little bit further and have fun. They seem to enjoy playing with the material and finding the fun in working a new bit or punchline into the show. The joyous nature of their performances brought a lightness to the show and helped to make this a well performed, thoroughly enjoyable hour of sketch comedy.
While a very good showcase of sketches, there were some that didn’t quite hit the mark. The weakest of all was potentially the recurring biscuit murder mystery, which never reached the heights of the other set pieces. However, when faced with sixty-nine sketches, it is inevitable that some will not hit the heights of others, and the misses were grossly outweighed by the hits.
Biscuit Barrel are firmly established regulars at the Fringe, and showcase once again that they have a keen eye for the comedic and the silly. Their comedy is sharp, short and a welcome watch for any Fringe diary.
Show Listing: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/biscuit-barrel-the-69-sketch-show
LISTINGS INFORMATION:
Venue: Lounge at Gilded Balloon Teviot
Dates: 5th – 31st August (Not 19th)
Time: 15.50
Ticket prices: £13.00/ concessions £12.00
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com
Suitable for 14+ (Guideline)