Thursday, August 14, 2008

"The Third Condiment" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

I think this is the show with a poster that mentions a comparison with Ricky Gervais - and that's pretty much on the money. What we have here is very much in the tone of "The Office". The plot is so slight it's not worth going into - certainly not to give any serious consideration of the issues raised in passing. This show is all about the performances and the comedy.

As the central character Dave, Sam Morris provides a hugely impressive performance without which the show simply wouldn't work anywhere near as well as it does. Polly Keane's Jennifer Saunders inspired Hatty pushed all the wrong buttons for me, but was undeniably a hit with others. For the most part the remaining cast provide strong support, however Charlie Eccleshare's portrayal of Rubric suggested an attitude towards his daughters that veered towards being uncomfortably inappropriate (although given the comparisons with "The Office" I'll accept that this may have been entirely intentional).

It's certainly a well put together show, with some genuinely funny moments and a nice line in soundtrack references. It made for an entertaining end to the evening, although I suspect it would benefit from a couple of pre-show drinks.

The Third Condiment runs at The Zoo at 9.05pm until 25th August
Image used with permission