It was my intention, on sitting down at my computer to write this review, to muse over whether it is fair to hold the Footlights to a higher standard than other shows. I would then concede that it was indeed a funny show but lament that I came away disappointed, mildly amused but ultimately unsatisfied. However, as always, one thing led to another and my procrastination led me inexorably to the Varsity website (hard to believe, I know), and there to Fred Maynard’s review of the same show performed just four months ago. And there I found, to my dismay, the exact same concerns I encountered watching the show at its homecoming.

There have undoubtedly been changes: the scenes have been shifted around and tweaked, the timing has improved, the delivery perfected. But no amount of tweaking could change the fact that this is still fundamentally the same show, with the same fundamental flaws. The pacing in the sketches left the audience hanging around for a climatic punchline that never materialised. The final sketch of the evening brought together the tenuously held threads we’d had dangled in front of us, but there was no gloriously funny line to match and so the ending fell rather flat. The Time Telephone is an interesting idea, certainly, but on its own it isn’t capable of holding such a complex show together.

Frustratingly, aside from the structure of the show everything was fine. The individual performances were good, as we would expect from such a stellar cast. The set literally sparkled; the sound and lighting were delivered brilliantly. Some sketches deserve particular praise, such as the menacing Rich Uncle “Monopoly Man” Pennybags come to collect his rent, and Captain Freedom imposing his unique brand of liberty on the other dolls. Here we enjoy a glimpse of the inspired comedy of which these people are capable. Unfortunately, we find it buried among sketches that rely heavily on a gimmick that is supposed to provide coherence but instead generates the impression that the show has been cobbled together in a hurry.

Perfect Strangers is still a very funny show. If you haven’t been lucky enough to experience the Footlights before this is an ideal opportunity. However, don’t expect to be blown away by ground-breaking new writing. This is Footlights, but not at its best.