Put simply, Dümpf, which consists of nineteen sketches of oriinal writing by Adrian Gray and Archie Henderson, is very funny. The promo material promises the address of ‘some issues’. Such daring ambiguity permits the four-person cast to rollick through everything from automated confession machines to German dating advice videos to the Queen’s illicit affair with the internet and arousing taste for zip-files. A mixture of songs and sketches, Dümpf is awash with wit and invention, and performed with just the right amount of silliness and corpsing.  

The actors deserve much credit for this. Olivia Le Andersen was quirky throughout, a particular highlight being her portrayal of an emotionally damaged marmoset employed to teach children to cross the road safely. The power of her internal anguish gripped the audience. We feel her pain as our own, her tears our tears, when she desperately attempts to copulate with a zebra crossing. It was very moving to finally see some comedy I can relate to.

Tom Fraser is also excellent. A man with a remarkably striking face, his superb turn as an inebriated Bill Gates left one feeling strongly that if he does not grow up to be a middle-aged habitual alcoholic, society will have suffered for it. The sketch in which Fraser joins Gray and Henderson to portray a collaboration of Marx, Weber and Hegel performing as a ‘Funk Rap Super Group’ in an open mic night at Butlins is definitely a stand-out moment, with Fraser again using his face to great effect.

But perhaps the pick of the glittering bunch was Gray’s reading of Sir David Attenborough’s diary – a joyously ludicrous narrative concerning a recent trip to a nightclub undertaken by Sir David. I won’t give anymore away, but Gray certainly succeeds in showcasing a previously under-appreciated side to the old boy’s character.  

Great praise must go to the writers. Gray and Henderson are highly adept in writing absurdist comedy, as well as being confident performers in their own right. They keep their sketches short and punchy; only once did I feel that a scene was dragged out for too long. Henderson’s proficiency with the deliciously portmanteau-y ‘keytar’ is also worthy of great acclaim, as demonstrated in a seriously funny closing song.

All-in-all, Dümpf is more than worth five of your golden pounds. It represents creative student comedy at its very best.