REVIEW: Brazen Hodgepodge at Canal Cafe Theatre 14 - 16 Sep 2023

‘four very talented performers that wouldn’t look out of place on TV’

Comedy sketch shows hold a special place in the history of UK entertainment, from Monty Python to The Fast Show to The Catherine Tate show. The best ones are remembered for maintaining a consistently high standard through excellent performances and exceptional material. Brazen Hodgepodge manages to deliver on one of these but unfortunately falls slightly short on the other, ultimately resulting in more smiles than laughter.

The ensemble at work here is most definitely the strong point of the production. Sam Gibbons, Sebastian Senior, Liv Hackland and Dan Thorn throw themselves into each character and setting and keep the energy flowing from start to finish. They are all comfortable at taking the lead in a scene, but it is when they work together that they really shine. It is clear that they enjoy what they do, and this transmits to the audience who are happy to share this hour with them.

Also helping to keep the audience engaged is Musical Director, Jamie Myles, who takes on the key role of Radio DJ in between sketches. He plays an array of weird and wonderful jingles from bible adverts to aggressive phone-ins which keep the audience amused while the rest of the cast reset. It’s a simple but effective way of ensuring that the fast-paced sketches on offer don’t feel too intermittent.

Where the production lags are in the sketches themselves. The ideas and concepts are there but execution from a writing point of view doesn’t quite land regularly enough to keep the audience laughing. Even the best sketch shows have sketches that dip in standards but generally the good ones manage to outweigh the mediocre. Brazen Hodgepodge hasn’t quite been able to work that formula in their favour.

There are still plenty of positives to take from this production. The sketches that work best are often those providing some form of social commentary, from mobile phone usage in the current generation to customer service feedback on apps. The clever approaches to these topics make them stand out even if the humour is sometimes still a little muted. If there were more of these rather than some of the more ‘filler’ pieces, then the overall experience could have been different.

It is clear from the talent on display that it will only be a matter of time before this creative team makes the necessary adjustments that delivers the required humour. Brazen Hodgepodge has four very talented performers that wouldn’t look out of place on TV and with some focus on tweaking some of the writing they might just get there.

Brazen Hodgepodge at Canal Cafe Theatre 14 - 17 Sep

Brazen Hodgepodge on Twitter: @Brazenhp

Director: Dylan Allcock

Reviewed by John Montgomery