Celebrating their 125th Anniversary this year, the Cambridge Footlights (old home of Rowan Atkinson) proved that there was still youth in the old dog yet.
For such a youthful cast, and for their first year at the Fringe together, they really did a wonderful job of holding the audience's attention. As sketch comedy goes, they did a pretty good job and most of the time keeping it quick and snappy. But for having a cast of six, the changes between each sketch could have been slicker. This is a minor quibble for a group who write their own work with their two directors, displaying that youth still have a hell of a lot of talent to show.
The cast themselves were a joy to watch. From their opening as they discussed what animals they looked like, you could see the connection between them was flawless.
A special mention has to go to Amy Hoggart, whose comic timing and ability to judge a laugh just perfectly could stand her next to female comediennes with ten or more years experience. The boys (Jack, Daran, Peter and Alistair) threw themselves into each sketch as if their lives depended on getting the audience to laugh and have fun, something that we all did.
It's refreshing to see youth take the route of sketch show comedy, and for a first-year show, it was one of the more enjoyable ways to spend an hour. If you're looking for new talent with a twist, then these Devils are more than willing to oblige.
Times: Aug 8-24 at 15:10 (no show Aug 13)