Victoria Cook, Emmy Fyles, Chrissy Hoey, Kerry Spillane (in alpha order) are riotous comedy troupe Kooky Babooshka. The venue is dimly lit and chairs are arranged in rows in front of a low stage flanked by black drapes. The set is a washing line strung across the back, upon which are pegged various props including two white bonnets, two kippahs [Jewish skullcaps] fashioned from black sugar paper, and bright pink sunglasses. Entrance music is Led Zeppelin, and the first sketch (there are 17 in total) begins when the music fades out.

Victoria Cook plays a character applying for a job, Emmy Fyles her prospective boss. When it becomes apparent that the interviewee is a native of Newcastle Upon Tyne, the boss is appalled. Cue Kerry Spillane's character, who is called up to translate. She leans forward, peers at The Northerner's breasts and cheerfully shouts 'Why-aye man! Ya canny twat!' And the tone is set for the rest of the show.

Kooky Babooshka gathers up themes and struggles of the modern age – the Credit Crunch, cystitis, pushy parents – and takes them to the extreme. Sketches are loud and anarchic, and what they lack occasionally in structure they more than make up for in delivery. Emmy Fyles nails the robotic and slightly crazed character more than once, in different pieces, but her performances are nuanced enough not to be repetitive. Victoria Cook's eyes alone carry the punch -line on several occasions; she is brilliantly surreal and at times unnerving, but supremely confident and a good anchor for much of the show. Chrissy Hoey is the quietest of the four, but she features in the majority of the sketches and steers them well: she facilitates a lot of the comedy without always being at the centre of it, a style which is rare and pleasant to watch.

Kerry Spillane is the group's trump card. She is a performer without inhibition. Her skill as a physical comedian makes the sex-education and obesity sketches tearfully funny, but also virtually impossible to watch. Embarrassing comedy is often the most compelling, and in a venue this intimate, where everything is amplified, the show can at times be delightfully awkward. Kooky Babooshka is rough around the edges and not one for the prudish; a challenge - a rewarding one - from start to finish.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Performers: Victoria Cook. Emmy Fyles. Chrissy Hoey. Kerry Spillane.

Company Credits: Writers - Victoria Cook, Emmy Fyles, Chrissy Hoey, Kerry Spillane. Director - uncredited. Technical Operator - Laura Holt. Producer - uncredited. Company - Kooky Babooshka. Website - www.kookybabooshka.co.uk.

END

(c) Letitia Longworth 2010

reviewed Friday 6 August 10 / City Café, Edinburgh UK

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com