Show: The Cambridge Footlights International Tour Show 2019: Look Alive
Society: Cambridge Footlights
Venue: ADC Theatre, Park Street, Cambridge
Credits: Devised
Type: Sardines
Performance Date: 12/06/2019
The Cambridge Footlights International Tour Show 2019: Look Alive
Alex Wood | 14 Jun 2019 17:38pm
Photo: Rob Eager
As someone who remembers Footlights stars from the halcyon days of the sixties and is only too aware of its history and the talent it has produced then and in subsequent years, on my first visit to a Footlights show I was very curious to see how good this year’s, ‘Look Alive’, would be.
Aliens are visiting earth, a green and blue planet where the beings are principally water-based. A strange place indeed – and the show is about what they find, which turns out to be an interesting mix including grief conselling, a visit to the gym, various TV shows, a beauty pageant, the Queen, doctors, a birthday party and so on.
In fact, over 40 short sketches.
Among the best are the delightfully absurdist Catering Trolley with its dogmatic, totally single-minded (only drinks OR snacks) attendant Alex Franklin, the unexpectedly orgasmic ride (think When Harry Met Sally at Thorpe Park) taken by Sasha Bobak in Annual Pass and the extraordinarily testing but ultimately unsuccessful (for the most inappropriate reason) Audition undertaken by Angela Channell. James Bisping is so worryingly convincing in So Poorly that I would not be at all surprised if he uses this as a pretext to skip lectures on a regular basis. And Harriet Fisher gave the perfect performance as the anxious would-be Gym Bunny on the treadmill for the first time.
In general the show takes a wide berth when it comes to politics – an exception being the very clever satire of Gum Control. But there were plenty of parodies of modern life; The Divorce Photographer, Britain’s Got Talent ( a worrying,hilarious, twist) and (the dangers of ignoring) a Cold Call.
I also enjoyed the Elon Musk running gag, Mime and the wonderfully curious Observational Oliver, inwittingly stymying Sherlock Holmes’ train of thought.
The Babysitter made for a smashing finale.
All of this done at pace, without any significant props or set, requiring sharp, slick, writing and huge energy and skill from the tireless cast of five.
I saw Look Alive on its second night. There were a few ragged moments and I suspect there will be some editing before the show goes on tour but in general this is a very funny show which is well worth seeing.
Photo: Peter Minnig
- : admin
- : 12/06/2019