This one-hour sketch show certainly had a lot of passion, but was sometimes let down by the quality of the goods. It was obvious that there would be a lot of energy from The Intimate Strangers' opening scene, but unfortunately that opening sketch didn't inspire a great deal of confidence about what was to come. The 'Oh no, we're here on a stage and what are we going to do?' start seemed a bit tired, which was a shame, because there were a lot of good moments later on, and some great material came together with skilled delivery and the passion that was evident throughout.

The Intimate Strangers are four men and a woman with a lot of energy and a lot of commitment, but it's almost as though they couldn't decide what their best stuff was. Everything was full-on, and the few pauses that there were, usually when the lights went down and there was a sound-only piece, were welcome.

There were interesting characters, such as the minutiae-obsessed queen who sounded like a cross between Brian Sewell and Kenneth Williams, and who delivered his piece solo from a chair in the manner of Ronnie Corbett; and the Cluedo characters in the stately home. The rapping Robin Hood's band had its moments (although the scene was wonderfully stolen by the decrepit Sheriff), and the finale had some stylish acting as well as providing the opportunity to end the show on an enjoyably silly note.

An hour of comedy needs a lot of material - a lot of good material. 'Kill your babies' might be useful to this show, with a good hard look at the content. Among the kill-able babies could be the clock man and the golf sale, unless someone can think of something punchier to do with them. This was a good show, which with some real concentrated effort on the quality of the material could become a much better one. On the evidence of tonight though, it was neither up nor down.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Harry Charrington. Chris Markham. Matthew Rose. James Thomas. Kelly Wood.

Company Credits: Writer - Matthew Rose. Director - uncredited. Technical Operator - Canal Café Staff. Producer - uncredited. Company - The Intimate Strangers.

END

(c) Michael Spring 2008

reviewed Tuesday, 8 April 2008 / Canal Café

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008