Opinion was divided on how good a show this was, in terms of our own set. For [fellow producer] Rebecca, it was an 8/10. Very good, but not in the top echelons, for which you need a room absolutely rammed full of sketch appreciators, was her view.
I disagree – I think this was the best set we’ve ever done, for one reason alone: we were DAMN QUICK in the sketch transitions, something I’ve been hoping would happen for ages but lacking the personality to dictatorally insist.
A show relies on momentum, and because a) a lot of our stuff is being performed for the first time and b) there are different people in different sketches, sometimes you can feel the atmosphere drop a touch, like a mildly unsuccessful soufflé, as props are gathered, positions are assumed, and Dian, our tech, tries to cover for the faff by playing a blast of high-energy music.
Sketch groups have lots of different strategies for dealing with the betwixt-sketch droop. Some have multimedia that links them all together. Some have specific lines or jokes to move the program on. Some just spin on the spot.
These things are harder for us to do, because so many of our sketches are being performed for the first time.
But we’re getting so much better, and Wednesday night felt a real breakthrough in terms of momentum maintenance – as does our current gambit of linking our sketches together with vignettes from doomed PM Sir Kier Starmer, as played – with increasing and delightful grotesque – by Sir Paul Creasy.
There are other factors. For example…
We’re now more of a post-prop group, with some important exceptions (for example, Alex had a hammer for his LinkedIn Premium user, to really ahem hammer home the character’s unhinged nature).
We’ve got a lot better at only including them if they’re absolutely necessary for the joke – looking back on early shows, it’s amazing how prop dependent we were, the side of the Hoopla stage overrun with pirate hats, nun outfits, and Batman costumes.
We have more of a consistent cast. We’ve always tried to have a solid core of regulars, but recently it tends to be eight or nine from a solid and tight dozen. As an open source, community-run sketch collective, we take sketches from anyone, if they’re good enough, and we’re proud of our process of meetings and feedback that helps new writers see their creations on stage.
But professionalising – or rather, solidifying – the core cast, has paid massive dividends. Though mainly unconsciously and naturally done, as people’s commitment understandably waxes and wanes due to other projects, having the trust of the other regular performers and knowing their assorted quirks and strengths simply elevates the whole caboodle. So while there’ll always be space for fresh blood – and returning champions, and occasional guest stars – I personally am really finding the greater consistency really rewarding.
It helps with the casting, too. I didn’t have anything to do with that aspect this month, but I felt beautifully suited to all the roles I was given: a stoic Dane who works for a company that makes chairs; an intensely annoying and posh man in dating hell, who was planning to use feminism to not buy someone a drink; and an unhinged detective inspector who appears suddenly from behind a curtain.
These all felt very much within my comedy wheelhouse, as well as being really funny and brilliantly written roles that I felt honoured to take on.
And, from the writing side of things, I hope that as more writers come to our shows, they could even have one of us in mind during the writing process.
So: yeah, I’m really happy where NLS is at the minute. I had a bit of a wobble about it, mainly due to my own utter inability to force myself to actually write any damn sketches. Songs and stories are coming out fine, but I’m finding sketch much harder right now. But I’m definitely contributing in other ways – booking acts, creating a buzz, and MCing, and assorted cat herding – so I don’t feel too bad about not writing much.
And who knows – perhaps it’ll come back. I might just need a writing partner, and I’m thinking of asking Martha if she fancies collaborating, since we did a good job with our first attempt, a very stupid sketch about Gladiators, which had the very unusual distinction last year of being performed at two entirely different sketch shows in two entirely different cities on the same night.
On, then, to the other guest acts, and my own hosting. The hosting was great – I felt very comfortable, the material I dimly prepared worked well, and I even attempted a bit of extremely non-threatening crowd work.
Alex Bertulis-Fernandes started us off. She is one of my favourite writer / comedians out there, and though she worried that her material was somewhat too dark for our slightly earnest and shy crowd, I was at the back of the room and could see that she had the room very much gripped between her fingers.
Next was Next Level Sketch, which I’ve already wanged on about at some length. But I want to pause to pay tribute to the high quality of the writing – all but one of the sketches we performed on Wednesday was entirety new, and brilliant with it. From goldfish, to crime, to Scandinavian zen, all the important topics were covered.
I also enjoyed hiding behind a curtain for two whole sketches, in order to leap out quite unexpected as an incompetent detective in puzzle club.
During the break, our headliner, Lil Wenker, turned up, fresh from tap class. Lil is going to be a superstar, and so, if there’s any justice in the world, is Verity Sharpe, a queer northern comic whose anti-landlord show was my pick of this year’s Brighton Fringe.
Here, she was doing straight – not in that way – standup, a delightful and naturally engaging storyteller whose personality shines through her dating escapades.
Finally, then, we had Lil Wenker – or rather, she had us.
Working on her post-Bangtail [1] show, Wenker has the funniest eyebrows in showbiz and has that Luke Rollason / Tommy Cooper style ability to be inherently funny before she even does or says anything.
As things stand, and I don’t want to give anything away, expect… tap dancing, preposterous accents, and strange fairytale characters who are in up to their elbows. And, it should go without saying, lots and lots of laughs. I’ve been doing this long enough now to recognise a star when I see one, and Wenker had better either be all over tv or the next pope in five years’ time, otherwise we might as well all give up.
Our next show
The next Next Level Sketch show is on Wednesday 29th October and is our spooky Halloween special. Tickets are available now.
[1] My favourite show from last year’s Brighton Fringe
jamesofwalsh 