My mind begins to wander roughly three minutes into ‘Taking The Piff’ – a sketch-show apparently entirely based on the precise length of time it is possible to spin out a dull idea. Even the performers don’t really seem to be enjoying themselves as they shout out lines of stilted dialogue, without recourse to concepts such as timing or delivery. As sketch after sketch drags interminably towards a distant close I find myself pondering ceiling tiles, the futility of life, and how on earth anyone could possibly have thought that a skit about Hitler reinventing himself as an after-dinner speaker could ever be worth watching. ‘Taking The Piff’ makes an afternoon spent counting staples sound quite diverting. Avoid.
Laughing Horse at The Counting House, 21 – 28 Aug, 2.30pm (3.30pm), free, fpp157.
tw rating 1/5
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Sections: by Ellie Blow - ED2011 Comedy Reviews - tw rating 1/5 | Tags: Laughing Horse Free Festival, Stream Of Piffle
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