Reviewing the final Revue

Two minutes to go. John Newman’s ‘Love Me Again’ is pumping. The stage is backlit in pale pink. Newcomers are nervously craning their necks. There’s not many seats left. Groups are starting to split up. As they edge uncomfortably the newly arrived Castle Rugby team holler at them.

The final show of the Durham Revue’s successful Edinburgh Fringe Show: ‘Friends Without Benefits’ has the exact kind of atmosphere that wets a reviewer’s appetite.

As the clock edged forward, every seat in the house was filled… except the two next to me. Quite insulting really. I was already impressed.

Oh you silly sausage…

Well, first of all it started late. To be fair though, that’s practically a ritual amongst comedy now, so we’ll forgive them for that.

The stage was delicately lit and very sparsely populated. The only constant were four blue chairs. The kind you get a conference centres.

In traditional sketch style, props were limited to a hat here, a blanket there and a greater focus on mime and movement. However, every blackout was filled – not just by the remarkably energetic silhouettes of the cast – but also by a sterling mix of tunes.

Often these were directly related to the sketch they followed. They were always enjoyable and provided good cover for the stripped down style of production this year’s Revue decided to use.

A minimalist set filled by raucous laughter!

Let’s also just quickly cover the acting chops of the cast-of-five. Simply put they were exactly what you would expect from their pedigree. I don’t expect to have any real emotional connection to a character on stage for no more than five minutes. However, you’ve got to be able to believe them. Even when the veil of professionalism slipped from the sketches, the actors always dragged it back.

The notable professional for me was Megan Brownrigg who, as the blonde female, had to deal with the typically generic cat calls and heckles from the aforementioned gaggle of lads. A coy wave was all she gave them. That said, the rest of the cast also dealt with any noise from the audience with good grace that only complimented their humour.

The Revue 2012/13 with Megan (bottom left) who caused quite a stir…

I am being unfair though. The crowd was in good spirits and in many ways they were the sixth cast member. It wasn’t the most raucous audience I’ve sat in but it was very gregarious. Heckles and shout-outs were quite sparse and obvious but they created a relaxed, jovial atmosphere that really gave the comedy a solid basis to work from and be enjoyed.

We’ve got this far though and not really mentioned the big word. What it’s all about. The real grit and purpose of this delightful hour of theatre. Was the bloody thing actually funny?

Well, yes.

This year’s revue move into their second day of auditions today down at Elvet Riverside and they’ve got big boots to fill.

The main thing that impressed me was that they weren’t afraid to be close to the bone, there were jokes that were racial and gags about gender inequality. Although these needed a slightly ironic mind to understand them and often didn’t get the biggest laughs , I respected the Revue for having the balls to put them on. But when it came to the good belly laughs I have to admit it was the word play and in jokes (looking at you, Boris) that stole the show.

Despite it begin ‘funny’, it’s an incredibly rare sketch show that actually pushes any envelopes of any sort. The Revue didn’t do this. No walls were broken down (and for the most part, even the fourth wall seemed pretty damn sturdy).

This was a modern and well crafted take on the traditional sketch show genre with a slightly celebrative mood emanating from stage. The cast clearly had had a marvellous time this summer and were relishing sharing their success with the university that brought them together, and so they should.