3

	Bedlam Theatre (venue website) Theatre 3-18 Aug, 6:30pm-7:30pm Reviewed by Alice de Cent
Family-friendly. Suitable for all ages.  Free and unticketed. No pre-booking required.

Set in the last frenzied hours of a campaign, The Election follows the fortunes of a party leader who is coming apart at the seams – and his two well-meaning aides, who are more than a little accident-prone.

There are some excellent slapstick sequences between Ian Farnell as the party leader, and Thomas Booth and Samuel Oliver as his hapless aides. The setting of a party headquarters is inventive, but doesn’t naturally lend itself to particularly interesting physical situations; there may be room to create more extreme and differing characters, so the comedy can come simply from their interaction.

The use of voiceovers to further the plot is well-judged, setting the scene nicely while keeping the focus on the physical comedy. But the show was perhaps a little hampered by the large playing area of the stage, which spread the action out too far.

Awkward Cough are a talented bunch, with a lot of ideas and energy. However, they can still develop their physical storytelling further, and aim for greater clarity in the movement generally. The company evidently have natural comic ability, and by honing their skills they could have something special on their hands.

As it is, The Election is an entertaining show with some stand-out moments of physical comedy. If you think politicians talk too much, these guys are definitely men of action.