A spectre haunts sketch comedy. The spectre of a dead parrot. Monty Python defines modern humour, might be better known (or at least quoted more often) than the Bible. It prodded hundreds of future comedians onto the stage, forever enshrined Britain as a funny nation. But its dead fingers still grip the throat of British comedians. They grow up being told that surrealism, non-sequiturs and erudite references for less than one percent of the audience are what sketches are about. People forget the brilliant subtlety of most Python sketches, the ridiculous but somehow real characters, the truly superb acting.*
Fortunately, Wit Tank haven’t forgotten. This isn’t your standard sketch comedy, getting a giggle every second sketch, skating over awkward scene changes with leftover laughs. They don’t think you can excuse an unfunny joke by randomly throwing a pineapple into it- but they don’t hesitate to wander off the walls of sanity either. Bishop Klepto, the sinister church official stealing a baby at a christening, or the gammon-obsessed headmaster, are about as deranged as anything you’ll see on stage- but they’re funny as well!
A good part of this lies with the cast, who are consummate performers, bringing the most unlikely characters into convincing life- at least for the length of the sketch. Even better is the slickness of the show- no snatches of pop music to cover up for awkward costume changes here. One act slides so naturally into the other it’s difficult to believe there’s only 3 performers, and when the lights came up I was genuinely surprised at how quickly the time had passed.
It’s difficult to review a really good show without sliding into clichés or spoiling all the gags. So this will have to do: WitTank might be the best sketch comedy I’ve ever seen. Slick, funny, clever, sharp- just open Word and load up the Thesaurus, keep sliding through synonyms. Point is, they’re bloody good. They make other sketch shows look amateurish.
*Go load up the Dead Parrot sketch on YouTube. “He’s just sleeping”, right? See when John Cleese tries to “wake up” the parrot by shouting at it? He opens the door of the birdcage. Tiny gesture. True genius.
Fortunately, Wit Tank haven’t forgotten. This isn’t your standard sketch comedy, getting a giggle every second sketch, skating over awkward scene changes with leftover laughs. They don’t think you can excuse an unfunny joke by randomly throwing a pineapple into it- but they don’t hesitate to wander off the walls of sanity either. Bishop Klepto, the sinister church official stealing a baby at a christening, or the gammon-obsessed headmaster, are about as deranged as anything you’ll see on stage- but they’re funny as well!
A good part of this lies with the cast, who are consummate performers, bringing the most unlikely characters into convincing life- at least for the length of the sketch. Even better is the slickness of the show- no snatches of pop music to cover up for awkward costume changes here. One act slides so naturally into the other it’s difficult to believe there’s only 3 performers, and when the lights came up I was genuinely surprised at how quickly the time had passed.
It’s difficult to review a really good show without sliding into clichés or spoiling all the gags. So this will have to do: WitTank might be the best sketch comedy I’ve ever seen. Slick, funny, clever, sharp- just open Word and load up the Thesaurus, keep sliding through synonyms. Point is, they’re bloody good. They make other sketch shows look amateurish.
*Go load up the Dead Parrot sketch on YouTube. “He’s just sleeping”, right? See when John Cleese tries to “wake up” the parrot by shouting at it? He opens the door of the birdcage. Tiny gesture. True genius.