March 23, 2011
Frimston and Rowett come from the esteemed Cambridge Footlights comedy company, the group that spawned the likes of Monty Python and Peter Cook And Dudley Moore. They specialise in character-based sketch comedy of a distinctly old school variety; think The Fast Show, Harry Enfield, Fry And Laurie, etc. Already making waves across the student comedy circuit, the duo are currently in the middle of a nationwide tour, playing in small venues across the country. And they don't come much smaller (or more intimate), than the infamous Burton Taylor Studio!
Roughly an hour and five minutes long, this show is probably best described as "likeable". The lads are both adept performers, going through a variety of different characters and comic situations with relative ease, but all too often fall frustratingly short of comic genius. It's a shame, because a lot of the comic concepts in this show are great; an overgrown Peter Pan getting in trouble at school is brilliantly written, but the delivery and timing is disappointing. It's hard to put a finger on exactly why this is. There is an amusing running sketch about a man stumbling upon dead owls in his kitchen, complemented by some silly puns along the lines of "Owlswitz" (ooh!) and "Owlmageddon"; but whilst these sketches are delivered earnestly and skillfully, they don't quite add up to the genuinely hilarious.
A piece involving a 21st century interview about the ups and downs of bellows making with Shakespearean character Francis Flute The Bellows Maker, and the final sketch, a piece concerning an atheistic Where's Wally book, are probably the show's best moments, yet even these are only mildly amusing. Like I just said, it's hard to put a finger on why. Perhaps it's the obviously faked accents that the duo employ throughout. Perhaps it's the lack of empathy with the audience; none of the sketches seem particularly intimate, half the time it seems as though the duo are only out to amuse themselves, whether this is intentional or not is unclear. The whole production does have the moniker of "Student Comedy Show" firmly stamped over it.
The main problem, I think, with Frimston And Rowett, is that they are just too damn insincere. If they just let their minds go that bit more, they could start to evolve into something special. And no, I'm not prejudiced against them because they're students, I have seen plenty of genuinely great student comedy productions at this very venue; Edward Baranski's The Local being possibly the best example, a production that needs to be revived around xmas time. I just thought that all too often the material outweighed the delivery of the show. That's not to say it was bad, far from it! It was a highly entertaining production, probably best viewed after a few drinks. It just wasn't great. If they gave up on the silly puns and worked on their audience interaction skills, we could be in for a real treat. In the meantime, we'll just have to settle with second best. They'll probably be massive....
Roughly an hour and five minutes long, this show is probably best described as "likeable". The lads are both adept performers, going through a variety of different characters and comic situations with relative ease, but all too often fall frustratingly short of comic genius. It's a shame, because a lot of the comic concepts in this show are great; an overgrown Peter Pan getting in trouble at school is brilliantly written, but the delivery and timing is disappointing. It's hard to put a finger on exactly why this is. There is an amusing running sketch about a man stumbling upon dead owls in his kitchen, complemented by some silly puns along the lines of "Owlswitz" (ooh!) and "Owlmageddon"; but whilst these sketches are delivered earnestly and skillfully, they don't quite add up to the genuinely hilarious.
A piece involving a 21st century interview about the ups and downs of bellows making with Shakespearean character Francis Flute The Bellows Maker, and the final sketch, a piece concerning an atheistic Where's Wally book, are probably the show's best moments, yet even these are only mildly amusing. Like I just said, it's hard to put a finger on why. Perhaps it's the obviously faked accents that the duo employ throughout. Perhaps it's the lack of empathy with the audience; none of the sketches seem particularly intimate, half the time it seems as though the duo are only out to amuse themselves, whether this is intentional or not is unclear. The whole production does have the moniker of "Student Comedy Show" firmly stamped over it.
The main problem, I think, with Frimston And Rowett, is that they are just too damn insincere. If they just let their minds go that bit more, they could start to evolve into something special. And no, I'm not prejudiced against them because they're students, I have seen plenty of genuinely great student comedy productions at this very venue; Edward Baranski's The Local being possibly the best example, a production that needs to be revived around xmas time. I just thought that all too often the material outweighed the delivery of the show. That's not to say it was bad, far from it! It was a highly entertaining production, probably best viewed after a few drinks. It just wasn't great. If they gave up on the silly puns and worked on their audience interaction skills, we could be in for a real treat. In the meantime, we'll just have to settle with second best. They'll probably be massive....