Whilst sitting in an admittedly sweaty Corpus Playroom (the actors will definitely agree with me), it occurred to me that Breaking Down is an almost perfect title for reviewers. Whether a raucous hit or an embarrassing fail, the title of this sketch show is gift for the pun oriented among us. However whilst it has its misses, the large quantity of hits and its committed performers help Breaking Down to have a smooth journey.

One of the best things about the show is undoubtedly its mix of the witty and the frankly immature. Sure, there are clever quips about the Thinker, the Eagles and a certain designer shopping outlet (easily the best sketch of the show), the writers aren’t ashamed to whip out a few poo jokes when it’s necessary. You can tell a sketch show is working when you allow the performers a few easy jokes after their hard work.

The performers also clearly have an understanding of their sketches, as the funniest ones are repeated multiple times, to great comedic effect. There’s always a huge danger of audiences not finding the original sketch funny and having to painfully sit through 2 other, similar sketches, yet in Breaking Down the repeated sketches are shrewdly picked, and frankly get funnier every time.

As is inevitable with all sketch shows there are some misses.  However the misses don’t at all become awkward, as can happen when comedy runs flat. One reason is that the misses never proceed or follow each other. Whether this is intentional or not, it’s important to the show’s success, as misses are often followed by raucous hits, and thus are quickly forgotten. But more importantly, even when the actors are performing material of a lower standard, they manage to pull it off. You can tell that while watching these actors, whether you’re laughing or shrugging with indifference, that these people are inherently funny and excellent comedic performers. They know how to move, what facial expressions to pull, when to pause and how long that pause should last; they make it look so natural that you forget how inherently difficult comedy is. Not even bouts of sweat or an unfortunate trousers rip could stop this foursome from making the audience cackle. 

Admittedly the show isn’t perfect, but in the show there are gems, little moments that make it completely worthwhile. If you’re stressed out over an essay and want to forget your troubles, Breaking Down is an hour of bizarre and witty diversion.