Comedy Sketch shows can be something of an acquired taste. More often than not, it can seem like comedians trying to make mediocre jokes funnier with props. With this in mind the audience can find themselves avoiding a performance like Four Wenches & a Free-for-all but although the show is a little slow to get going, the overall result is sound.
By only using four wooden boxes, the wenches have to rely on what is a very strong script. At times the show feels a little rigid as though they are waiting for laughs, but their debut Edinburgh offerings also contains some comedy gold. Highlights include Imogen Rands solo effort as a Spanish tour guide doing the introductory talk to a hen party and Siobhan O’Hagan’s drunken wedding speech. Funniest of all though is when the girls ‘drop’ from the script and start arguing in ‘real’ life.
Never seeming too stilted though, the wenches have a bright future for them if they can stop relying too heavily on the script and get used to a bit of improvisation. Not exactly a free-for-all but not free from laughs, this is a show that puts sketch comedy back on the right track.
3/5
Will Searle
