Reviewed: The Durham Revue

After a term full of shows with intricate set designs and costumes last term it was a refreshing start to Epiphany when I turned up to a show that had such a simplistic style as The Durham Revue. The set consisted of four chairs on stage which remained there for the whole performance simply being repositioned for each scene. The lighting was the same for each of the skits performed and every actor wore the same ‘uniform’, a white shirt, black braces and black trousers/a skirt. Yet this ‘minimalistic’ style was perfect for the kind of show we were seeing. The comedy sketch show was complemented by the unanimity of the actors in their dress which was simple, yet looked effective and the uniform nature of set/lighting throughout the whole of the show.

I have to say, I was somewhat dubious about seeing The Durham Revue. I love comedy shows, but I have a kind of humour that is very specific and often difficult to satisfy (I’m usually that boring person sat there saying ‘Yes, I do get it… It’s just not that funny’) and yet, every sketch The Revue presented had clearly been thought about and considered intently. That’s not to say that they all went down a treat. The success of all skits is largely dependent on the audience on the night, but every skit was funny and had us all laughing with out-right, barefaced hilarity, or with that kind of tongue-in-cheek, shocked ‘I-Shouldn’t-Be-Laughing-A-This-But-I-Am’ kind of laughter, which was great. There was something for everyone with a variety of humour that always kept the audience keenly anticipating what was coming next.

Particularly funny were the scenes that recurred throughout the show. With such a fast paced nature and each skit being very brief it was nice to have scenes that popped up multiple times. A personal favourite of mine was the ‘Boris’ joke which my friends and I must have made use of rather too much on our subsequent night out. However I do feel as though some scenes could have been developed more. There were times when the brevity of all the scenes became slightly irksome and some parts definitely felt as though they had potential to be longer. This leads me to my main criticism of the show. At times it felt almost like watching an improvisation. It seemed like the people on the lighting/sound desk were in charge of when some scenes ended, with the punch-line either falling to early and the actors being left awkwardly for a couple of lines before the lighting change, or the lights coming down too quickly for the full impact of the joke to hit the audience before the next scene started.

That said, the acting was consistently of a high standard. Simon Gallow and Stefanie Jones should be particularly commended.  I felt that many characters we saw were stock characters and the actors had a comfort zone that they very stuck to for most of the skits but Gallow and Jones both showed great characterisation throughout their performances and really strived to push the variation in physicality and vocally between skits.

The music between scenes, for me, was somewhat paradoxical. We were subject to a 2 bar snippet of various pop songs/club hits, with most ending up cut off halfway through a bar/word which irritated me but in fairness, was necessary. We couldn’t listen to a full 3.5 minute song between each scene. On the other hand, the music was a fun, welcome addition to the show and I loved the amount of thought that had clearly gone into the song choice with songs very often matching up to the scene. My favourite being Ray Charles – Hit The Road Jack! after a sketch I particularly enjoyed about two policemen who made fun of English turns of phrase, finishing with ‘Last time I did that I broke my wrist’.

The Durham Revue is very much still in its baby steps this year but the talent on display is obvious to all and they will very clearly go from strength to strength throughout the year as they begin to develop a rapport about them and grow closer as a cast. In all, the show was a hilarious night out and The Revue is one of the best things I have seen this year so far. I will definitely be going to see them again next time they perform.