THEATRESPORTS at the Museum of Comedy

★★★★

“a slapdash and chaotic style which is mostly fun”

Theatresports sees two teams of improvisers battle head-to-head in a series of short form improv games to challenge and flex their creativity and wit. The audience has the power to decide the points, with applause and laughter. It’s a type of improvisation show that’s been around since the ‘70s, but when comedy troupe Kerfuffle do it, the winning team snags a 3D printed Kerfuffle trophy. High stakes.

It’s fun to watch people have fun, and the performers are clearly having as great a time as the audience. In one game a performer must repeatedly interrupt a sketch, forcing the improvisers to come up with ever more outlandish one-liners. In another every question must be met with a question. In a third, the improvisers must incorporate audience one liners into a normal conversation. The games are designed for maximum silliness, and the performers provide that in spades.

The competitive format is slightly flawed, the audience are reluctant to give anyone one point (or really any less than five) so it does mean a fairly friendly competition. But no one cares. The ineffectual scoring system is part of the charm. The night I’m there, the audience manages to gain points themselves, by shouting out particularly funny answers, and ultimately wins the game.

The hosts, Charlie and Viki Jackson, lean into a slapdash and chaotic style which is mostly fun. Sometimes it feels like it can bring down the energy a bit, but the format still races along. The games and sketches are all cut before they grow stale, but always allow enough time for the ridiculousness to run its course.

Much of improv is about sharing and communicating and throughout the night that energy felt natural and not forced. It was so nice to see the more experienced performers and people who were clearly newer to improv perform together, happily sharing the space. There was no showboating, or jostling to be the star, the group felt inclusive and kind, and that was reflected in the generous and engaged audience.

Kerfuffle is an expert troupe, and their shows lean into their joyous, messy comedy, with passion, teamwork and fun.

THEATRESPORTS at the Museum of Comedy

Reviewed on 18th August 2023

by Auriol Reddaway

More Camden Fringe Reviews

Invasion! An Alien Musical | ★★ | Camden People’s Theatre | July 2023

This Girl: The Cynthia Lennon Story | ★★ | Upstairs at the Gatehouse | July 2023

Glad To Be Dead? | ★★ | Hen & Chickens Theatre | July 2023

Maybe I Do? | ★★★★ | Hen & Chickens Theatre | July 2023

Flamenco: Origenes | ★★★★ | Etcetera Theatre | August 2023

All That Glitters | ★★½ | Rosemary Branch Theatre | August 2023

Dead Souls | ★★½ | Etcetera Theatre | August 2023

Kate-Lois Elliott: Gentrif*cked | ★★★ | Museum of Comedy | August 2023

Improv The Dead | ★★★★ | Hen & Chickens Theatre | August 2023

Avocado Presents | ★★★ | Hen & Chickens Theatre | August 2023

Sarah Roberts : Do You Know Who I Am? | ★★★★ | The Bill Murray | August 2023

End Of The World Fm | ★★★ | Cockpit Theatre | August 2023

Ashley Barnhill: Texas Titanium | ★★★★ | Museum of Comedy | August 2023

The Vagina Monologues | ★★★ | Canal Café Theatre | August 2023

Not Like Other Girls | ★★★★ | The Queer Comedy Club | August 2023

Improv Death Match | ★★★★★ | Aces and Eights | August 2023

Theatresports

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★★★

“there’s a soulful melancholic undertone to many of the characters”

Avocado Presents is a two-man improv sketch show, pulled entirely from thin air. The two performers, Hamza Mohsin and Jake Migicovsky, begin by pacing around the space, feeling one another’s energy. Once they feel ready, and they’ve placed their two chairs in position, they launch into a sketch. It’s impressive to watch, though the results are a little mixed. It’s surprising that this duo has been working together for several years; their energy is not entirely in synch and they seem to lack the enthusiastic zeal for the game which characterises so many improv shows.

Mohsin’s comedy comes from a long and silent stare – it’s all in his facial expressions. At times this means he’s hilarious, but it clearly makes it hard for Migicovsky to improvise with. There are several moments where Migicovsky is working really hard to get a comic bit going, and is shut down by Mohsin’s energy. Both men are funny, and they both get a solid laugh over the hour, but there’s a lack of teamwork at times, which is surprising for a show like this.

The sketches are oddly poignant. We leave with questions about modern day masculinity, and what it means to be a man in 2023. A divorced father gives advice to his teenage son – offering him cigarettes and encouraging him to throw the first punch at anyone who side eyes him. In court mandated therapy a young man questions his arson charge, and attacks his therapist for being a future version of himself. A divorce lawyer comes to terms with the fact everyone thinks he’s a creep. Obviously, these sketches are different every day, but there’s a soulful melancholic undertone to many of the characters, which is fascinating, if not exactly funny.

The best bits are when the duo let themselves go and get really silly with it. A strip tease to remove a shoe – a long mimed struggle with a leather jacket – an unexpected proposal, where the bride has brought her own ring. These are moments where the performers shine, and the show really takes off. They’re just a little few and far between.

Avocado Presents is more complicated than a typical improv show, which sometimes works in its favour, and sometimes drags it down. There’s an awkwardness, and a weirdness to it, which is both uncomfortable and strangely arresting. The duo is everywhere, and if you like your improv with a side of peculiar but thoughtful character analysis, it’s worth catching this show.

THEATRESPORTS at the Museum of Comedy

★★★★

“a slapdash and chaotic style which is mostly fun”

THEATRESPORTS at the Museum of Comedy

Reviewed on 18th August 2023

by Auriol Reddaway

More Camden Fringe Reviews

Theatresports

Theatresports

AVOCADO PRESENTS at the Hen and Chickens Theatre

★★★

“there’s a soulful melancholic undertone to many of the characters”

AVOCADO PRESENTS at the Hen and Chickens Theatre

Reviewed on 3rd August 2023

by Auriol Reddaway

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Avocado Pesents

Avocado Presents