Pembroke Cellars, then touring.
Dir: Ed Gamble and Tom Williams
Four Stars

At the beginning of the second half of ‘Devils’, a set door unintentionally crashed down. It was an amusing incident in itself, but the best part was the way the actors dealt with it: a splattering of giggling improvisation and masses of natural energy that included the whole audience.  This is what made ‘Devils’ such a great show to watch.

Inevitably it’s patchy. Some sketches border too much on the hammy, or drag on a little. But what the show lacks in cohesion is made up for with enthusiasm. In these flickering sketches there is enough variety to amuse everyone. Some are sick, many are bizarre, but almost all will make you smile. This motley crew is versatile and work well together, and once they start touring any aspects that jar now should fall in to place, especially once they move out of the cramped Pembroke cellars.

Wired-up Jack Gordon-Brown bounds around grinning, and each actor passes on energy to the next. Amy Hoggart is slyly sweet throughout and her speed dating monologue includes some extremely funny and awkward moments. Daran Johnson’s monologue was a triumph, and Peter Riley’s colourful characterizations were constantly entertaining. Alastair Roberts, apparently a dead bird, broke into 1950s musical theatre in an inspired finale, and left us all trying to roll our tongues but mostly rolling with laughter. A great way to celebrate Footlights’ 125th anniversary.

Rose Chenevix