June 16, 2011
When contending with a 6pm slot and obscure venue, not many new comedy acts could hope to attract a large crowd. The full house at Copa last night is testament to the appeal and success of the Doctors O’Destiny and their witty surrealist whirlwind of a production.
The hour-long show was a series of sketches that told of a group of disheartened motivational gurus in search of the key to motivation. The audience – a mixture of young fans and bemused parents – were invited to join the young comdians in their bizarre quest to the bowels of an imganary office building.
The storyline became increasingly strange and, by the mid point, when the cast were squeezed onto an upturned table belting out a seemingly impromptu acapella number, the performance had become wonderfully surreal. The Doctors O’Destiny certainly subscribe to a strange brand of comedy, but thankfully the show contained enough silliness that it avoided pretention.
Girls outnumbered boys 3:2 in the cast, and it was great to see female performers winning as many laughs as their male counterparts. However, Daniel Richards deserves special mention. His understated performance was the best of the night and his unexpected ukulele solo only added to his charm.
The cast proved that their talents extended beyond improv and acting and delivered a number of songs in perfect harmony. The witty song-writing had a flavour of the kind of musical comedy favoured by Bill Bailey and Tim Minchin. One love song ended with the line:
"And I promise I’ll never hit you... as long as you do what I say".
Doctors O’Destiny brought bags of youthful enthusiasm to their performance. By the end of the show, the cast were dishevelled and rosy-cheeked and stage floor was strewn with biscuit crumbs, spilt milk, fake blood - even lube.
The five young performers literally poured blood (albeit fake), sweat and tears into their performances, and the result was a vigorous, surrealist comedy triumph.
The hour-long show was a series of sketches that told of a group of disheartened motivational gurus in search of the key to motivation. The audience – a mixture of young fans and bemused parents – were invited to join the young comdians in their bizarre quest to the bowels of an imganary office building.
The storyline became increasingly strange and, by the mid point, when the cast were squeezed onto an upturned table belting out a seemingly impromptu acapella number, the performance had become wonderfully surreal. The Doctors O’Destiny certainly subscribe to a strange brand of comedy, but thankfully the show contained enough silliness that it avoided pretention.
Girls outnumbered boys 3:2 in the cast, and it was great to see female performers winning as many laughs as their male counterparts. However, Daniel Richards deserves special mention. His understated performance was the best of the night and his unexpected ukulele solo only added to his charm.
The cast proved that their talents extended beyond improv and acting and delivered a number of songs in perfect harmony. The witty song-writing had a flavour of the kind of musical comedy favoured by Bill Bailey and Tim Minchin. One love song ended with the line:
"And I promise I’ll never hit you... as long as you do what I say".
Doctors O’Destiny brought bags of youthful enthusiasm to their performance. By the end of the show, the cast were dishevelled and rosy-cheeked and stage floor was strewn with biscuit crumbs, spilt milk, fake blood - even lube.
The five young performers literally poured blood (albeit fake), sweat and tears into their performances, and the result was a vigorous, surrealist comedy triumph.