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	C venues - C nova (venue website) Theatre 4-19 Aug, 9:05pm-10:05pm Reviewed by Alice de Cent
Recommended for age 14+ only.  Free and unticketed. No pre-booking required.

Looby Loo: No Strings Attached features Looby Loo and Andy Pandy, 40 years on from their glory days. Looby is struggling to get work, and drinks too much, while Andy bets on the horses. On a quest to reclaim their place in the nation’s hearts, they get the old gang back together… and start rehearsals for the comeback that will make them stars again.

Julian Rimmer’s script attempts to tread a line between jokes at the characters’ expense, and a genuine emotional response to the more tragic moments of the play. This is ambitious, and Rimmer never quite pulls it off. The rather confusing explanation of how the characters have become real is misguided, and arguably unnecessary, since by the time it’s introduced the audience must already have accepted the premise of the aging puppets.

There are the inevitable jokes about the absent members of the Watch With Mother cast, and the equally inevitable rumours about the characters’ less-than-wholesome lives off set. These gags become rather worn after a while, and jokes are a little thin on the ground.

Still, the familiar costumes add a touch of humour to the proceedings, particularly the first reveal of Andy. There are some nicely-acted moments from a committed and evidently playful cast, but it isn’t quite enough to make up for the show’s flaws.

The premise of the Watch With Mother crew as aging actors is ripe for a few laughs.  But while it might make fertile ground for a sketch, it can’t really sustain an hour.