It is not the chummy benevolence of ‘friendship’ which triumphs at this production. The stage bathes in a poignant whiff of rivalry. A rapid turnover of scenes and constant alternation between the Oxford Revue, Durham Revue and Cambridge Footlights forces the audience to draw direct comparisons between them.
Naz Osmanoglu satisfies his job as host well enough: his additions include merry gibes at the fresher libido and his own ethnicity. A feeling of familiarity crests during a brief foray into MacIntyre-style gruff and although the stand-up is unoriginal in itself, his genial energy makes for a cosy performance.
The first hour gained the audience’s approval in a sluggish and piecemeal way. A lack of chemistry between cast members in larger scenes saw the Durham Revue crawling slowly away from the starting line, wounded by a trite reference to ‘Voldemort’ and a tiresome ‘Santa-isn’t-real’ routine. A whimsical gag named ‘Boris’ is successful, but the script stops short of pushing it away from the brink. A quick-witted exchange between an expressionless duo was the most popular Durham effort, but this was thanks to the script rather than the unchallenging delivery.
Cambridge Footlights began with an uncreative stab at the racism of the elderly, but an improvement came with their second attempt. Taylor’s spry discourse featured a brilliantly improvised interaction with the audience (“someone is clapping my masturbatory habits…”), drumming up a well-deserved response.
Reprieve from the rigidity of group scenes was delivered with gusto by the Oxford Revue. Dowie’s plucky delivery of a not-wholly-inspiring ‘minge’ line is to be applauded. But her cheeky skill is superseded by the more subtle concentration of David Meredith, who is able to command the whole theatre’s attention with a small, deliberate movement.
The Durham troupe gained traction as we moved into the second half of the show, but they were eclipsed by the real struggle for pre-eminence between the Oxford Revue and Cambridge Footlights. A balance was struck: the spirited and agile performance of the Revue meant they banked the trophy for best delivery, but Footlights triumphed in terms of script. They reached their zenith with a hilarious anthropomorphisation of chess.
A word of praise to finish: some of us have come to expect tedious taunts at ‘the bourgeois mentality’ or boring renditions of #UniLife as part and parcel of student comedy, but Oxford Revue & Friends is fresher than that. More impressively, there is a welcome lack of the self-congratulatory arrogance that has been known to grace student stages. This is an earnest competition.
THREE STARS
