The obscure name of this show is not much of a guide as to what it is all about. While it does feature some insight into the ways to make a fluffy, cardigan-clad lap dog into a Kujo-esque killer, the show is a tribute to Tripod’s musical comedy forefathers, albeit made up ones.
Musical comedy, or ‘momedy’ as it is more commonly known, has been around for centuries, and the lives of a few of the greats are shown through the use of somewhat limited video footage and photographs. Gatesy tests the theory that glitz and glam adds to humour and the boys re-enact the contest between two of their heroes to find the greatest momedy song ever.
The highlight for me was the ‘pictogram’ slide show by Yon, which featured some of the most ingenious stick figure drawings I’ve ever seen, used to describe the turbulent career of the most popular country and western momedy singers of all time.
Their songs are a trip down momedy lane, chronologically paying homage to their heroes, dating back to momedy’s beginnings in the old sea shanty days. Not every song is raucously funny but if you don’t like some of them, it’s OK, because they’re not really their songs anyway… are they?
This show has a different spin on it to previous Tripod shows, but all the ingredients to their enduring popularity are still there. This time though, there’s a pinch of mockumentary and a dash of pictogram to spice things up a bit. As usual though, it is the natural relationship between the three guys that really makes a Tripod show – and in this case, one definitely worth seeing.
Tripod – How to Train an Attack Dog from Scratch runs at Trades Hall until the 29th April. For booking details go to the Comedy Festival website