Chortle.co.uk
Wednesday, 14 January 2004

Reviewed by Steve Bennett

Barely has the new year begun, and already the minds of comics everywhere are turning to thoughts of Edinburgh. Yet others have already been toiling on their shows for months, finally approaching the stage where their works-in-progress are ready for a decent public airing. Which is where the Soho Theatre comes in.

Kicking off the swanky venue's Soho Blast season are Dutch Elm Conservatoire, a talented five-man sketch troupe already starting to attract the beginnings of a buzz. On some levels, it's easy to see why. Steve Evans, Jim Field Smith, Rufus Jones, Jordan Long and Renton Skinner are all skillful comedy actors; their highly developed timing, and commanding delivery bring a touch of class to the sketch genre, too often the refuge of the talentless.

These men in black also aspire to create a distinctive feel to their show, which tends to revel in the embarrasment, of inappropriate behaviour. And they do so with reasonable success, even though the echoes of Python, and every other all-male ensemble that's ever stepped out of middle England.

Comparissons with Cleese and Co is, of course, a cliché sketch group reviews, but it doesn't mean it isn't true. The phrase 'a little hit and miss' is another one, again with more than a grain of truth here. When this quintent hit the mark, they create something special, and there's maybe half a dozen outstanding examples in this collection. God visiting a street preacher, the inappropriate guest at a wake and a case of mistaken identity involving serial killer Dennis Nilsen would stand out in any TV sketch show, let alone a Fringe one.

What sets these apart from the majority of their sketches is the existance of a clear punchline. Even a relatively weak pun gets a laugh, not only becuase it is brilliantly set up in the context of a job appraisal, but because it's an identifiable joke. But too often the group dodge their responsibility to finish sketches properly, resorting instead to that now-tired excuse of letting them fizzle out to nothingness. While leaving an audience on a 'huh?' has become an acceptable technique, it needs to be used in moderation if you're to avoid leaving a palpabale feeling of dissatisfaction.

But, with more than six months to the Fringe, there are enough promising signs in this offering to suggest it'll be worth a look come August. And although it will be a tall order to find more sketches to match the quality of their best half-dozen, they've easily proved they have the ability to do it.

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