The Penny Dreadfuls are now firmly considered Fringe Favorites—an entirely unsurprising fact given the finesse, versatility and sheer talent these three gentlemen bring to the stage. Their periodic visits to Victoriana, a world obsessed with sodomy and colonies in equal measures, revolve around the dandy and explorer Aeneas Faversham, and this is its third installment. This surreal narrative of intrigue and revenge is peopled by a vast cast of characters, from the menacing butler to the simpering wife of the protagonist (who pops out to the shops for a six pack of bonnets) and all of these are played utterly delightfully and anything but dreadfully by the trio.
The sketches come thick and fast and are impressive in their speed of execution; the production is slick, which is still unfortunately somewhat of a rarity at the Fringe. What is most impressive is the sheer volume of material the Dreadfuls manage to fit into less than an hour, spoofing as they are the labyrinthine and ridiculous twists and turns of Victorian pulp fiction. Their imaginative use of shadow puppetry and props, or lack thereof, does go to show how much consummately performed physical theatre can convince, disproving the need for great expense (although their spot-on use of costume does considerably enhance the illusion).
However, although there are many things to recommend this performance, the comedy itself sometimes fails to hit the mark and resorts to the same kinds of humorous themes repeatedly, which frankly disappoints, as the Dreadfuls surely have the imagination and the wit to ensure more breadth of appeal.
4/5 
Padmini Ray Murray
