Three short shows: Oxfringe 2010: OFS Studio, Oxford (From The Oxford Times)

Three short shows: Oxfringe 2010: OFS Studio, Oxford

2:12pm Wednesday 7th April 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

Shows that feature at fringe festivals generally fall into three categories. First, there are shows too in their infancy to be given proper run outs: they begin and end as works in progress. Second, there are real gems, shows that will hopefully catch the eye of producers, commissioners and audience members alike. And finally there are others that should be consigned to the dustbin as horrible ideas that should never have been allowed to happen in the first place. Tonight, in the OFS Studio, the three categories have never been more succinctly expressed, with an example of each playing out in the theatre.

Starting the evening, Lost & Found is a charming play about wide eyed Jeffie, who, in the act of running away to the circus, posts himself in the mail and ends up in the Lost & Found department. It’s a well written enough play with some laughs and a few cute touches, but the narrative arc is far too obvious and the kooky twists are a little too saccharine in their delivery. A couple of rewrites are in order, but there’s enough promise here to go on.

La Navet Bete’s Zemblanity, however, is completely turgid. A clowning farce (pictured) with fewer laughs than a mortuary, the production consists of sub ’Allo ’Allo! German accents, laboured slapstick and lots of hopeless gurning. Avoid, at all costs.

Thank god for the Noise Next Door, who make the evening worthwhile with a great show. Their act is entirely improvised, consisting of scenarios created by audience participation. This approach can lead to the most unexpected and bizarre settings for sketches, but the quintet always find the comedy from somewhere, sometimes even baiting each other by throwing in more ad libs. And anyone who can create a side-splitting sketch from the premise of a radio DJ in the Arctic playing Latino records containing four cures to frostbite on the spot deserves all the praise that can be found. Somebody give these boys a TV show! Now!