The Ginge, The Geordie and The Geek

Three lads in their pants, on a mission to save the world by giving birth to a child nurtured in a womb of comedy sketches. Confused? You should be. There's surreal, and then there's lazy structuring for the sake of an opening and concluding scene. Thankfully, what falls in between is totally unrelated, and generally better conceived.

After a successful run at last year's festival, the self-professed “messiahs of comedy” have joined forces once again this summer. Their sketches are eclectic: there's political and cultural satire, absurdism, reinterpreted fairy tales, and a good dose of plain silliness. There's also a great deal of variation, though, in the quality: there's some real gold, but several items rouse no more than a spattering of applause. A lot of the material is built upon a predictable set-up which is enjoyable to watch unfold to its inevitable punchline, but this repeated sequence sometimes borders precariously on tedious. It is, however, a smooth production with seamless costume changes, a carefully constructed soundtrack, and acute comic timing. Kevin O'Loughlin demonstrates an engaging versatility playing a lovesick scarecrow, an adulterous ventriloquist's dummy, and a terrifying James Blunt.

About halfway through, the characters begin to sketch-hop and, as with everything else about this show, there's sometimes a real gem of a joke to be had. But too often it simply provides an easy ending. There's clearly a lot of talent in this trio, but saving comedy? They should start with their own show first.