John-Luke Roberts and Nadia Kamil: The Behemoth

Nadia Kamil and John-Luke Roberts return from their respective, and critically acclaimed, solo offerings to reunite as The Behemoth. With a simpler title than The Gently Progressive Behemoth in 2007 and 2008's Wisecrackin Mindsqueezin Behemoth, their hour is of similar irreverence and delivered with trademark gusto.

Both Roberts and Kamil are undoubtedly talented performers, firing through the whimsical, silly and downright bizarre sketches at breakneck pace and with a chemistry that comes from having performed alongside each other for a whopping six years. Unfortunately this year's offering, though showcasing moments of comic brilliance, falls short of its predecessors.

Despite some strong material, the hour occasionally pushes into the juvenile, sacrificing the duo's usual cleverness for the more predictable punchline and a heavier reliance on props. The audience interaction works well, but still doesn't manage to warm up the room. Sketches peter out, some skits feel more than a little confused and the oft-overused projector concept doesn't appear to add that much.

Such flaws are covered well by the pair's strong performances—from Kamil's chameleon-esque physicality to Roberts' immaculate timing—with both eking out laughs from what, in the hands of lesser comedians, would perhaps fall flat. It is, overall, a disappointment that the atmosphere in the room never lifts considering the talent onstage. Admittedly, this could be partly due to an especially cold audience but, regardless of this, these two really are capable of so much more.