Comedy review: The Invisible Dot Comedy Tour, Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh

By JAY RICHARDSON
Published on 03/03/2012 02:41

THE Invisible Dot has established an impressive reputation and this touring taster showcase does nothing to undermine their burgeoning profile.

Recent graduates of the Cambridge Footlights, sketch trio Sheeps, offered refined highlights from their 2011 Edinburgh Fringe debut with a smattering of new material. From their beautifully misguided, alternative musical version of Oliver, to a delightfully crafted skit in which a widow is unwittingly exploited by Abba and the Bee Gees for her haunting and indeed, haunted melodies, Liam Williams, Daran Johnson and Alistair Roberts demonstrate ambition beyond many of their sketch peers.

Taking the stage as his hyper-excitable creation Mr Swallow, no-one could steal a Nick Mohammed routine, so unique to his energetic acting style are his wonderfully fleshed out characters. Whether it’s a weatherman’s running meta-commentary a tactless wedding photographer or Mohammed’s confused landlady, the intensity of the performance elevates occasionally so-so lines.

Finally, came Jonny Sweet, best newcomer at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe. Without the surprise element, his lecture on the decommissioning of HMS Nottingham loses surprisingly little as he engagingly spoofs the ludicrous self-puffery of overblown Power Point presentations.

Rating: ****