January 28, 2009
Sketch shows are often better remembered then seen, and Correctness Gone Mad is a case in point. Please understand; I am not at all comparing this to a trial endured, but merely noting a phenomenon that comes to the fore in this production. The fact of the matter is that I laughed more on the way back to the car recalling the show then I did when watching it. Yet I was laughing with the show, not at it.
The show consisted, unsurprisingly, of sketches, pulled off with energy and a few basic props by an enthusiastic band of students. The sketches were a mixed bag, with some falling flat, others being chortlingly funny, and most raising a mirthful smile, though not an outright laugh.
I know this sounds like damning criticism hidden in faint praise, but the comment stems from the following phenomena: many of the funniest sketches, especially the hilarious 'Secrets of the Stage', were really very funny. Yet somehow I got the impression, time and time again, that they would have been even funnier written down, rather then performed. This feeling kept cropping up throughout the play, and is supported by the really very witty accompanying handout. It may be this that made it a show better remembered then seen.
But is that a bad thing? Not at all. This 'better remembered' phenomenon is largely what Monty Python owes its cult status to, and comparing any sketch show to that level of genius is high praise indeed.
A fiver is a small price to pay for what is a solid hour and a half's entertainment. If you're thinking of watching TV tomorrow, which I know you are, please lever yourself out of that La-Z-boy and get yourself down there. If nothing else, your effort will be rewarded many times over by the surprise at the end. (No, I'm not telling).
The show consisted, unsurprisingly, of sketches, pulled off with energy and a few basic props by an enthusiastic band of students. The sketches were a mixed bag, with some falling flat, others being chortlingly funny, and most raising a mirthful smile, though not an outright laugh.
I know this sounds like damning criticism hidden in faint praise, but the comment stems from the following phenomena: many of the funniest sketches, especially the hilarious 'Secrets of the Stage', were really very funny. Yet somehow I got the impression, time and time again, that they would have been even funnier written down, rather then performed. This feeling kept cropping up throughout the play, and is supported by the really very witty accompanying handout. It may be this that made it a show better remembered then seen.
But is that a bad thing? Not at all. This 'better remembered' phenomenon is largely what Monty Python owes its cult status to, and comparing any sketch show to that level of genius is high praise indeed.
A fiver is a small price to pay for what is a solid hour and a half's entertainment. If you're thinking of watching TV tomorrow, which I know you are, please lever yourself out of that La-Z-boy and get yourself down there. If nothing else, your effort will be rewarded many times over by the surprise at the end. (No, I'm not telling).