Charmed Forces

Charmed Forces tells the story of a theatre group which, having enjoyed moderate success on the British seaside holiday camp circuit, now finds itself drafted to Afghanistan to entertain the troops. Its show consists of card tricks, a live radio play, assessment of a member's torture threshold and a rousing sing-along finale. As one would expect from character comedy of this nature, the performers are inept and their events program inappropriate.

Given that all three performers have backgrounds in improvisation, it is unsurprising that they should falter in their attempt to craft a cohesive, fully rounded script. Though the show is consistently well-written, it is too episodic. This problem is best exemplified by Neville Galvin's character, who is clearly intended to fit the mould of a classic comic oddball. However, he is too inconsistent in his behaviour and mannerisms to really make an impression, veering from confidence to submissiveness in the space of a scene.

Liz Black's creation is more believable, though her smug and self-obsessed control freak character is over-indebted to the work of Ricky Gervais. The lack of originality with which she plays her part would be easy to overlook were her presence not so overbearing. Fortunately, straight man David Elms anchors the show with an intensely serious performance, resolutely maintaining his stoicism as the denim-clad trio's antics scale increasingly ridiculous heights.

In spite of its flaws, there is much to recommend in Charmed Forces which, at its best, hints at a future as a serious comedy contender.