The number 23 has always been an elusive one. It’s prime. It’s not quite the number of hours in a day, but for most undergraduates, it’s just past the age of graduation. Perhaps that’s the reason why these three comics (Rico Hallworth, Adam Woolf and Rufus McAlister) have chosen the number as the theme for their show. This is their first endeavour under the banner of their new sketch troupe, Two Thirds Comedy, and since the Corpus run is a prelude to their Edinburgh show at the C Nova Studios, I’ve been assured by the cast and their director, Jasmin Rees, that they want to ensure that the funniest material is on display. Indeed, she went on to stare deep into my eyes, grab me firmly by the shoulders and tell me that even Darwin would think it was (r)evolutionary.

The show is based on a student’s bedroom, and from the multi-coloured and psychedelic publicity material I’ve seen, it seems likely there will be some surreal and intriguing ideas and jokes. The posters on the walls of the set also seemed to indicate a transition point, between the deep and intellectual pursuits of a student, just discovering the world and its many cultural attractions, and the childish mess so often affiliated with teenage boys. Ah, if only teenage boys could disaffiliate from that.

A sequence of visions corresponds to the clutter of 23 objects in the student’s room, which then in turn leads into a variety of sketches, from the classic short sketches to the, uh, also classic long sketches. With the numbered items already on the stage, the audience watches as the 23 items are gradually used, one per sketch, combining the twin thrills of drugs and lists.

What would the cast say about the show then? Enrico Hallworth had this to say: “Freud claimed that there were three types of comedy: the joke, the comic, and the mimetic. I disagree. There are two types of comedy: the yoke, and the little white bit around the edge of the egg which no-one really likes. I promise this show is going to be all runny and yellow.” Adam Woolf claimed that if he were a sketch show, he’d want to be 23, Please because it is set in a student’s bedroom and he spends a lot of time there anyway so it would be quite convenient. Rufus McAlister pondered this question for a while and then, after deliberating further, decided that it was “good fun”. 

23, Please runs from Tuesday 14th to Friday 17th June at 14:30 at the Corpus Playroom before its stint at the Edinburgh Fringe.