Theatre

Square Eyed

Alan Hindle | Wednesday 17 August, 2011 10:36

The BBC is heading north, abandoning buildings and traditions. Ghosts of presenters, no less beloved in their time for being a bit crap, wander the halls. And one rampaging, messy elephant. In its stead, empty heads in pinstripe suits spout bilious jargon and attempt to create the television of the future based on pie charts and marketing research. Into this void step two vacuous presenters, Nikita and Olivier, sparring to determine which is the most hip, or at least younger. “Do you know who New Kids on the Block are?” “Yeah…” “I don’t.”

Sketch comedy that builds a premise, a statement, and tells a story seems rare in Britain, but is a definite way forward for a genre collapsed into catchphrases and recurring one-gag characters. Using classic film clips which they have cleverly inserted themselves or recreated with very low-tech sleight of hand, Square Eyed have crafted a very funny, genuinely satirical show that made me think of SCTV and The Goodies. The sketches that don’t work tend to be the ones taking place outside the realm of the mock network they’ve created. There are watchable patches that coast along with steady low-level laughs, and most of the really good stuff is at the beginning. Then Joke Robot comes along and a hint of genius is revealed.

Camden Fringe Festival page

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