The Tab meets The Footlights

Putting on a show is a tricky business

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The Footlights talk love, arson and disco in discussion about their upcoming show with the Oxford and Durham revues

How are you preparing for the show?

Seb: Simple. Unlike the others (who don’t know about the show yet, the cretins), I’ve been taking early morning jogs in my local scrapyard; catching American footballs in the marketplace; doing star jumps under aqueducts; punching helium balloons for hour-long stretches; squatting in front of the old boys down at the local mill; beating the hanging products in the Cambridge Quality Meats cold room and air punching in Downing court of an afternoon. And learning my lines.

Luke: I’ve been breaking into the Arts theatre every night for the past two weeks and rehearsing sketches, alone, covered in greasepaint. When I really nail a wicked zinger, I don a cardigan and clap politely from the auditorium.

Standing on the humps of giants

What can we expect from it?

Luke: Suspicion and judgement.

Adrian: We always tell our audiences to expect the unexpected.That way we can surprise them by doing something expected like an hour of sketches.

What makes this group of Footlights a winning combination?

Luke: We love each other very much even if we don’t say so ALL the time.

Adrian: I think the main thing is that we’ve all gone through a lot of hardship in our lives, and nothing has been handed to us on a plate. For instance Luke and Josh weren’t even at the best private school in their area, and I know Archie once had a flight delayed by 4 hours. I don’t even have Sky.

It’s firmly a winning combo

Could we say with confidence that our superiority to Oxford and Durham extends down the comedy line?

Seb: All the way down, mate. With confidence.

Luke: No, that would require an independent survey and my opinion is biased.

The Oxford logo says it all

What has been the highlight of your Footlights career thus far?

Luke: Lying down in front of hundreds of people whilst a metal bucket of water fell near my head.

Footlights was founded in 1883. How do you make sure to stay relevant from year to year?

Luke: Always writing new material.

Adrian: Before we perform a sketch we check to make sure it’s not full of dated references. I wrote a sketch about the MP who claimed a moat on expenses the other day, but the guys said I’d have to bin it as no-one cares anymore, and because it had no jokes in it, just a moat. It was the same Josh’s Northern Rock sketch, and Ellen’s one about the Viking invasion of Britain. No-one remembers these things anymore.

Seb: Well, I like to listen to a lot of pop beats and just feel the vibes at some of the disco clubs of a night ‘out’. But it’s different for everyone. I know that Tom has trouble in this area. Although, he was the one to introduce the no stovepipe hat policy in smokers this term. So, swings and slides.

What will you go down in Footlights history for?

Adrian: Arson if all goes to plan

Luke: I would go down on Footlights history if the price was right. Sure, why not.

Omg logos

Describe yourself in a nutshell.

Seb: Smaller without the nut allergy.

Luke: Anaphylactic.

Seb Sutcliffe, Adrian Gray and Luke Sumner will be performing with the rest of Cambridge Footlights at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, 17th and 18th April at 7.45pm. Click here for tickets.