The Penny Dreadfuls are a trio of formerly Edinburgh based actors and comedians, who have previously wowed us with their Victorian based comedy sketch shows featuring Aeneas Faversham. This year they have decided to go for a more contemporary set piece.
The overall “plot” is plain bananas. We are welcomed to a mysterious island by a hilariously caricatured trio of an assassin, a scientist and an engineer working on “Beef Island”, a theme park that hold many sinister undertones, unfolded throughout the story. It has elements of Jurassic Park and The Island of Dr. Moreau in it, which makes it very appealing.
The Penny Dreadfuls portray all the characters in the play; acted, voiced (often in bizarre accents), clothed and represented through body language to hilarious effect. The dialogue is razor sharp, curious and observational. They have often been likened to Monty Python and touch upon elements of The Goon Show and The League of Gentlemen also. The ludicrous is embraced and often the obvious problems with portraying so many characters and having a quick scene and costume changes are incorporated in improvised dialogue.
The set is sparse and the few props utilised are very obviously makeshift. It’s hard to pinpoint why this show lacks as much lustre as in previous years productions but it’s only slight and often the problem when you’ve previously retained such a high standard of excellence in your work. So, not as good as years past, but excellent nevertheless, if you haven’t seen them before go see them now!
4/5 
Catriona Ruth Paterson
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