Returning for their 62nd annual pilgrimage to the Edinburgh Fringe, the Oxford Revue rolled into town with their new sketch comedy hour For Revue Dollars More, accompanied nightly by their stand-up showcase Stand-upping Citizens. Between cowboy puns and character comedy, the Revue delivered a solid 45-minute sketch cavalcade that landed somewhere between “mildly chuckle-worthy” and “genuinely funny”. Nothing truly terrible, thankfully, but also nothing to write home about.
The sketch show was a mixed bag, with a few hits and some just fine filler. Many of the sketches were blink-and-you’ll-miss-it brief, and while they could be punchy, these often ended just as they were finding their feet. That said, Leo Bevan consistently made the most of them, with a delivery tailor-made for quippy one-liners. One of the more memorable moments in these shorts came from a bit involving someone arrested for “resisting arrest”, a joke that, oddly enough, seemed to haunt the Fringe, popping up again the next morning when I watched Cry-Baby: The Musical performed by the Latymer School.
Martha Davey, who had already impressed as a charismatic MC in the stand-up show the night before, was another standout. Channelling Miranda Hart with the right dash of chaos, she excelled in the ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ sketch, fully embodying a hilariously posh mum with unnerving accuracy. Her quick mouthed gym instructor routine had its moments too, though it ran over slightly.
One misstep was the “Improv” interlude, which turned out to be… not improv. Just another sketch, albeit one with a slightly looser feel. It wasn’t bad, but it missed the opportunity to offer a refreshing break in rhythm after a solid 45 minutes of sketch, sketch, sketch.Some real improvisation could’ve added a welcome element of chaos or spontaneity.
The runaway highlight of the show, however, was Adam Pickard and his recurring sketch set to Right Said Fred’s ‘I’m Too Sexy’. Pickard, who also featured in the previous night’s stand-up showcase, brought the same deadpan swagger to the stage here. He launched into the “sexy” persona with unexpected precision, committed, in sync with the music, and all the funnier for how seriously he seemed to take it. What could’ve been a one-note gag became a recurring delight.
The show closed with another musically driven sketch, this time set to Elvis’s ‘Blue Suede Shoes’. Like others before it, the sketch leaned into the Revue’s apparent penchant for gory humour, which consistently earned some of the biggest laughs. Bloody, and well-timed, it was a fittingly high-energy finale, matched with some decent vocals from Bevan.
All in all, For Revue Dollars More was an enjoyable, well-performed show that made for a fine opener to my Fringe week. It didn’t quite embed itself in my memory, but it made for a pleasant hour of chuckles, and a few pretty great moments.
