Comedy review: Goodbear
Star rating: ***
Venue: Bedlam Theatre (Venue 49)
Accomplished duo Goodbear have chosen to set their skits within the timeframe of a day, disparate characters living their lives from midnight to sunset.
About as loose a framework as merits mention, it does, however, emphasise the impressive depth and pace variation of their repertoire. Henry Perryment and Joe Barnes are skilfully expressive actors, with a versatility that finds both portraying all manner of gender, age, class and even species. There’s a cinematic quality to several sketches, with the clichés of airport dashes, Oirish melodrama and The Matrix sent up beyond straightforward spoof. A couple of relentless Swedish cyclists are broad Euro-caricature that perhaps don’t warrant repeated revisiting, when one-offs, such as a gloriously debauched couple of poshos, hooting as they struggle to recall the substances they’ve imbibed, are a riot. Segueing straight from one to another, the ideas are varied, rooted roughly equally in emerging character traits and deft twists. They have a high success rate too, even if they perhaps need something more to set them apart.
Until 28 August. Today 9:30pm.