Fortunately, The Durham Revue has reined in their surreal sketches this year and, as a result, has produced a show that is far more palatable than last year’s lamentable effort. Okay, there are a few skits that fall flat from being self-indulgently surreal, but the main body is very accessible, well conceived and undoubtedly funny.

With precepts such as an airbourne Luftwaffe virus, a Dutch mountain rescue squad and faked comas, Battered Wives & Chips certainly explores some strange corners of the psyche but it’s a lot of fun going down these less trodden paths with this talented bunch. Admittedly, a small number of their jokes are obvious but these are in the minority and the bulk of the material is enjoyable enough to gloss over these foibles.

After a year in the comedy doldrums, The Durham Review are getting back to form. They’re be no means at the top of their game but everything bodes well for their future, so keep an eye out for these cheeky wee scamps.

3/5

Basically, it’s all about construction at Hush just doesn’t have a clear one. Instead of being a confrontational piece about a father’s pre-natal breakdown, it is simply a confusing play about an imperfect domestic situation that hints at Damien-like supernatural happenings.

The central idea is interesting, as male pre-natal stress must be more common than we think, but the jump from here to fearing that the unborn child wishes to harm, and indeed is controlling his mother is a major leap of faith and it’s one that we just can’t make.

Getting on board would be easier if we had sympathy for either of the parents but an alcoholic, shut-in dad and a possibly philandering mum are never going to garner our respect. As a result, you’ll simply find that you don’t care about the outcome, even if she gives birth to a demon child, and quickly find yourself meandering into boredom rather than engaging with the stage.

Like a number of shows on any Fringe, Hush starts out with a good premise and simply throws it all away.

2/5

Based on the Fighting Fantasy books, When In Rome is essentially a Latin game show that endeavours to resurrect the flagging language by injecting a healthy dose of fun into the proceedings. By enlisting the help of the delightful Tim Key, utilising enough IT aids to keep Dave Gorman happy and employing his own gentle sense of humour, Horne is definitely taking steps in the right direction but it’s sad to say that this show doesn’t do quite enough to make a dead language exciting.

While Horne has developed some wonderful conceits and woven in a bunch of delightful touches, When In Rome doesn’t quite work hard enough at engaging the audience’s interest. Okay, people are paying attention but the pace is slightly off and there are a number of lulls that disrupt the action. Part of this is down to the interaction of the audience, which occasionally has to be forced, but a lot is due to the nature of the show. While the starts and stops echo the concept of the gaming novels, they jar against the flow of entertainment and force a detachment from the narrative.

Horne has to be given a lot of credit for his innovation but this show definitely needs a little bit of polishing before it truly zings. That said, I got an A in his exam, so I’m happy!

Overall, When In Rome is a three-star show but, with a bit of work, it could be an excellent four.

3/5

Carter bases a lot of his material around music and it is his quest to find the happiest song in the world (the theme tune from Dogtanian is the current forerunner). This isn’t a particularly original concept, yet Carter has managed to carve his own niche and it’s easy to forgive him. Actually, given his flamboyant energy, it would be hard to pin anything on him.

While the musical search isn’t the main theme of the show, Carter is at least consistent about one thing – his humour. It falls into two distinct camps, extremely daft and extremely dark, with the latter being the far superior brand.

The only thing that let the show down was Carter’s insistence in having a three-minute interval – a period that is too short to go to the bar, yet long enough to jar the performance. Possibly he just needed a pee but this break does disrupt the action and it takes Carter a while to get back into his flow. This by no means ruined the show, but it certainly could have done without it. Overall though, I’d say that this is one of the highlights of the Fringe this year.

4/5

The Pavel in question is an experimental animator from a tiny Eastern European country who has travelled to Britain in search of work but he is having difficulty finding an audience in viewers brought up on Spongebob Squarepants and Pokemon.

Buxton gives an excellent performance as Pavel (undoubtedly helped by the unwieldy beard he is sporting this year), managing to keep up the ridiculous accent throughout the entire performance. While I’m sure that this isn’t his best material in recent years, it is a brave attempt at character-based comedy and is a welcome departure from the old stand up comedy routine.

There are some fine jokes throughout the script, which don’t rely on the character to be funny and were warmly welcomed by some members of the audience who didn’t seem sure what to make of the show.

It seems like a bit of an odd choice to write a show around experimental animation, as a lot of people aren’t familiar enough with the concept to really see the humour that Buxton has. It is, however, a very strong performance, which is worth catching before the end of the festival.

4/5

The structure of this play reads very much like a piece of cinema, jumping between past and present as the common link between the characters gradually becomes clear. The characters themselves are generally well developed by strong lead performances, though there are points when things become slightly overacted.

Through the exploration of these increasingly complex relationships, Use Once And Destroy manages to open up its main theme – frustration. While exploring various facets of this – frustration at events in the past, at the people they used to be, and most of all, frustration at each other – Squidge Productions also tap into the theme of transition and how social changes can really determine who you are as a person.

3/5

To watch this man perform is a spectacle to behold; his supply of comic material is seemingly inexhaustible giving him the ability to jump from one train of thought to another whilst delivering an awe-inspiring succession of anecdotes. The real genius of his work though is the fact that he brings everyone on board in such a way that they can all relate to the stories he tells. With spectacular comic observation he transforms the mundane occurrences of everyday life to the hilarious.

Using no more props than the clothes he is wearing and his facial expressions, he highlights the ludicrous nature of how we deal with awkward social situations and the absurdity of media-fuelled fears and prejudices. Intentional or not, what he does is quite powerful, as he makes you laugh at your own insecurities and, in so doing, deflates them.

Howard’s innocent-but-highly-corruptible looks allow him to add extra layers of cheekiness to his routine and gives him the ability to shock everyone with an occasionally filthy remark. His boy next-door demeanour is the perfect compliment to his comic style and makes the whole show an unusually intimate experience.

This man is a natural born master of comedy; see him live while you can!

5/5

Originally written in 1958, Albee’s darkly comic and ultimately tragic play admittedly smacks of a bygone era but the themes, characters and even the parlance are immediately identifiable to a modern audience. While this is a great testament to Albee’s writing, the real thanks for the successful transference belongs to Phil Nichol and Graham Elwell, whose characters stand perfectly against each other.

On one hand we have Elwell’s perfectly prim and measured Peter – a man who seems entirely content with his world and is only flustered by an errant wasp – and on the other we have Nichol’s stalking, skulking social malcontent Jerry, who instantly reeks of danger. With this imminently obvious set up of antagonist and victim so firmly in place, the violent and shocking conclusion is even more surprising and unsettling than expected.

In truth, it is Nichol who delivers the most charismatic, gripping performance but his passionate, energetic mania would be pointless without the slow erosion of Elwell’s staid resolve to pitch against.

It is quite an achievement to find a Fringe show that has either a great script or great actors but to find a good script backed up by two truly fantastic actors is rare indeed, so please shun the draw of Bailey and Davies and go and see Nichol and Elwell instead – they’re cheaper but much more valuable.

5/5

Set in bonny old ”Scotchland”, this amazing play follows the actions of the evil Ubu as he strives to become king, no matter how many lives are lost along the way.

It is an incredibly physical piece of theatre that builds in momentum as it follows the exploits of three grotesque characters in their quests for power. In fact, grotesque is certainly the word to describe a lot of the action, and indeed the dialogue, as each potty-mouthed sentence becomes cruder and more offensive than the last. This is not theatre for the faint of heart; it is frantic and explosive and so ridiculously over the top that it can’t help but get into your head.

There are elements of pantomime thrown in, which really shouldn’t work but the actors actually make the audience take part and, in doing so, inextricably link them to whatever they do next. This is no mean feat for a theatre company, as breaking the fourth wall can actually have audiences making for the door (I too am guilty of this), so the fact that they can pull off this sort of behaviour with a good deal of aplomb stands testament to just how good this production really is. Go and see it now!

5/5

Since his controversial victory in 2003, Martin has changed from a very shy, intriguing character, who, in his slightly obsessive compulsive way, managed to warm people’s hearts, to a slightly cocky, slightly bored version of his former self and this isn’t a great look.

At one point during his performance, he mentions that he didn’t really want to do another Fringe show and this is evident in his material. The material is by no means bad, as it is genuinely funny, but it feels like it’s all build up to a routine that doesn’t actually happen, leaving the audience stumbling bewilderedly out of the theatre wondering if they missed something. Unfortunately they didn’t.

Demetri Martin is a genuinely talented comedian (and musician, the musical pieces being strongest parts of the show) but he is much better than this and it seems that, if he really put his mind to it, he could be one of the strongest performers at the Fringe.

3/5