Meet Keith. On an upright bed in the centre of the stage, he wriggles, contorts and pantomimes his struggle to get some sleep. Flopping between rage and exhaustion, Keith's physical manoeuvres communicate the suffering and frustration experienced by an insomniac in the early hours.

Already a blend of pitiful and comic, the addition of stream-of-consciousness voice-overs portrays every flash of thought in Keith's brain.

The thoughts ‘What if I forget to breathe?’ ‘Think of calming things,’ ‘I need to sort my life out’ provide not only a character insight, but a residing place for the audience. Insomnobabble can be experienced only through Keith's mind.

And so begins a journey through Keith's world.

His daytime routine - alarm, dress, feed cat, coffee, poo, train, work - is established through repetitive storytelling and the introduction of stock characters.

The pattern is so familiar that the degeneration that occurs as a result of his insomnia is immediately recognisable.

The slick, snappy environment and character changes which happen every few seconds are mind-bending and as Keith's reality becomes more and more surreal, it is hard to differentiate the real and the imaginary.

This confusing world is created by the role-swapping genius of Tim Lynskey, who plays all the slapstick characters that people Keith's life.

From men with body odour on the tube, to wonderland-esque policeman, office tea-ladies and Keith's staunch boss, Tim Lynskey is very funny and has a radioactive energy that, under the direction of Rob Farquar, turns into skilful physical characterisation.

Tim Lynskey is almost showing off when playing all five members of an insomniacs' meeting, and excels as a softly romantic and ditsy love interest.

Matt Rutter's Keith has an earthbound but equally powerful presence. He charts Keith's disintegration with sensitivity and dexterity, slipping and stomping through scene changes and creating hilarity and pathos in abundance, while never detracting from the gripping soap opera of Keith's life.

With a hanging 'you decide' ending, Insomnobabble is a perfect piece of theatre.

Its ensemble concept and circus of talent and skill make it an exciting experience.

Its sketch-show array of characters and jokes fuse with a strong narrative and eventual questioning of fiction and reality, making it as thought-provoking as it is enjoyable.

Insomnobabble is the thinking person's comedy show.

Cast Credits: Matt Rutter - Keith. Tim Lynskey.

Company Credits: Writer/Director - Robert Farquhar. Lighting and Sound Technician - Danny Layton. Company - Big Wow in Association with Richard Jordan Productions Ltd.

END

(c) Sara Pascoe 2007

Reviewed August 07 / Assembly Rooms

Subeditor - Bo Wilson

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008