COMICIDE: Death by Funny is fucking hilarious. Kilian David, Dan Ilic, Janis McGavin, Patrick McGee and Toby Truslove race at a breakneck pace through so many sketches that it’s difficult to remember them all afterwards, but when you do, you will immediately break out into a fit of giggles on recalling the Timenator’s call of “Not yet!”
Like a hyperkinetic live-action episode of Full Frontal, COMICIDE creates its own universe of recurring characters (such as newsman and romantic novel writer Chip Calhoun) that crisscross into each other’s sketches, each joke coming so hard on the heels of the previous one that by the time you have finished laughing at one gag, the next is halfway through its setup. While there are a handful of sketches that fall somewhat flat, it barely matters, since each one moves by so quickly that the comic momentum never lets up.
There is a great deal of comedy gold to be mined in this act. Will the eternal feud betwen orange slice and scotch finger ever be resolved? Can Jesus overcome his anger at being crucified in time to solve the middle-eastern crisis? Was Super Mario really not such a great plumber after all? These are but a handful of the questions that will be answered over the hour, and each member of the team throws themself into every sketch with seemingly endless reserves of vigour. While two chairs, used to various different effect throughout the show, are almost the only props the team takes with them, the speed at which they move from sketch to sketch (punctuated by a live DJ visibly mixing samples off to one side of the stage) is very impressive. It’s a very slick, very well-rehearsed production. The jokes range from the obvious to the sublime, so it’s safe to say there’s something for everyone in this very, very funny show, which is highly recommended.
Visit the comedy festival website for bookings and further details