Catherine Bennett resumes the weekly look at the performing arts world, with the sad end of Jerusalem, the luck of a cabbie, and French revolt. Do you hear the people sing?
Adam Alcock reviews Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and his own Four Elements at York Opera House.
Catherine Bennett highlights the trends in the performing arts world today.
Jonathan Cridford reviews 'Ghosts', one of the Freshers' plays for this year.
For those unfamiliar with Comedy Society’s panel shows, ‘Got Booty!’ has recently undergone a reboot(y), throwing aside the familiar ‘Escape the desert island’ format and most of the old rounds in favour of having each show set in a new location for the contestants to escape, with the rounds themed accordingly.
This week, presenter Henri Ward led team captains Tom Crowley and Dan Wood in a fantastic voyage inside the human body, accompanied by Tom Ellis, Bengee Gibson, Lewis Gray, and Miranda Crowhurst. This theme was not rigidly adhered to, instead providing a starting point for the captains and their teams to build upon.
Many rounds welcomed audience suggestions, such as obscure causes of illness (“A trombone!” “Egypt!”). The captains especially showcased their experience and agile wit, though the guests were more than capable of keeping up with them. The inimitably droll Tom Ellis particularly stood out, as did several surreal interjections from Miranda Crowhurst.
Some of the popular rounds had been retained, such as the ‘Ballad of Wikipedia’ in which the teams are both given a Wikipedia article (this time, human body-themed) to write a song about, culminating in an ode to kidneystones and a short strain dedicated to childbirth. Special guests Tom Stokes and Giles Littlewood, dressed as doctors, provided riotous and frankly filthy interludes between rounds, maintaining the slick yet informal theme which Got Booty thrives upon. Relaxed yet practised, Got Booty is an enjoyable and affordable way to spend Wednesday evening.
ComedySoc’s sketch show, which currently runs once a term, returned triumphantly in the form of Sketchify, a show Comedysoc has lined up for the Edinburgh Fringe festival. The theme for this term was of course Spotify, complete with bizarre ad-breaks which helped to ease the transition between scenes.
The audience were presented with a diverse collection of sketches, including a visit to a government-funded department of cryptozoology (“The Jaberwock’s fictional, isn’t it?” “No! That’s what he wants you to think!”), teachers engaged in a heated argument entirely in rhyme, a Victorian answer to ‘Snog, Marry, Avoid?’ and the surprisingly endearing tale of a nautical captain celebrating his tortoise’s birthday. Different writers each brought their own humour to individual sketches, which meant if one sketch was not to a person’s liking, another would come along which was more to their tastes.
Although one of the greatest assets of the show was the cohesion of the cast, there were nevertheless some standout performances; James Tynan’s comic timing, Meg Henry’s impressive voice-acting and Dan Moody’s array of facial tics.
Despite lacking polish at times, most likely due to simplicity of the production, the obvious enjoyment of the cast was extremely infectious and with a little work the show will be more than ready for the Fringe later this year.
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