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An enthusiastic audience at the Northwall Arts Centre was treated to a high-energy sketch how by Tom Palmer and Tom Stourton – aka Totally Tom - the up-and-coming comedy duo who brought us the youtube hit High Renaissance Man.
I worried that this would be yet more sketches about the “gap yah” generation, a comedy cliché which is growing a little tired – so I was thrilled to discover that Totally Tom have much more to offer. This was easily as funny as High Renaissance Man, but happily the show was much more than just an extended version of that sketch. Indeed, the pair showed an impressive talent for nuanced and polished character comedy – their characters included everything from a German father punishing his son for his lack of piano playing skills to strippers in a Northern working men’s club. The range of accents was impressive too, with the lads taking on anything from the rasping Nordic of Club Med reps to thick Glaswegian and everything in-between. This Eton-educated pair are likeable, charismatic and a bit posh, with the wit of Armstrong and Miller and a flair for slapstick. Palmer especially is a master of physical comedy and both are naturally very funny. There were plenty of cheap laughs to be had from silly dances and sexual hip thrusts, but beyond the obvious gimmicks, the skits were highly inventive and refreshingly original. Among the spoofs of popular films, and tried-and-tested sketches about coke-sniffing Sloan rangers, there were some highly original pieces. Highlights included a Shakespearean sidekick who ran out of metaphors and a squeaky sitcom about the Hitler Youth. I’m not a particular fan of sketch comedy, but this show had me chuckling from start to finish. These two talented Toms bring something fresh to sketch comedy, breathing new life into even the most tired sketch-show themes. Totally Tom went down a storm at Northwall, proving they are destined for bigger things than youtube fame. Hopefully it won’t be long before someone gives them the TV show they deserve. Amy Hopkins (DI Reviewer), 17/01/12 |
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