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Sheeps - Dancing with Lisa
Published on Monday, 20 August 2012
4

4 stars

Pleasance Courtyard (venue website)
Comedy
1-12, 14-26 Aug, 5:10pm-6:10pm
Reviewed by Natasha Frost

 Recommended for age 14+ only.

Of all of the slightly self-consciously quirky sketch comedy floating around this year's Fringe, three-strong outfit Sheeps are amongst the best. Moving dangerously from sketch to skit (with appropriate footwear to designate the genre), Sheeps are tightly constructed, extremely well-written, and often very very funny.

There can often be a tendency within this genre to be absurdist, and in doing so, utterly alienate the audience.  This show, in contrast, manages to remain consistently original without resorting to tired attempts at being zany or wacky.

However, Sheeps is not merely good writing: the delivery is exceptional and varied, with natural chemistry between Liam Williams, Daran Johnson and Alastair Roberts permitting an easy exchange of ideas and jokes. Character development over the course of the hour is good, and the trio play off well against one another. Special mention must go to 'little dancing lad' Daran, who is a natural performer with a unique and very effective style.

The volume of gags in the segment is absolutely huge, and the speed with which they are delivered, one after another, quite staggering. This is light, but not undemanding, and the intelligence of the writers certainly shines through. The overall feel, then, is of three very clever young men having an awful lot of fun, and their enthusiasm is absolutely infectious.

However – though it’s a particularly polished performance, it does nonetheless come across as rather studenty, which may not appeal to everyone. Given how young the members of Sheeps are, and how good this really is, I really recommend dropping in to see them: these three, should they continue to pursue it, are without a doubt ones to watch.

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These are archived reviews of shows from Edinburgh 2012.  We keep our archives online as a courtesy to performers, and for readers who'd like to research previous years' reviews.

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