Broken English

With Nat Luurtsema

More Dan Antopolski videos

Dan Antopolski's surreal won him the BBC New Comedy Award in 1998 as well as Perrier Award nomination in 2001. Dan has performed at the usual comedy clubs as well as international comedy festivals, with appearances at Montreal, Melbourne and New York.

And as an actor, Dan has starred in the BBC Two sci-fi spoof Hyperdrive as technical officer Jeffers and appeared in the Da Vinci Code movie as Jesus

Jigsaw: Fringe 2012
Live Review
Pleasance Courtyard

This sketch threesome (Dan Antopolski, Tom Craine, Nat Luurtsema) fit sketches around themselves, and not vice-versa, while their easy charm goes a long, long way to lift individually enjoyable sketches into a satisfying whole.

This ease is underlined by the way the three morph into scenes: often using the space they ended up in the last sketch as their starting point for their next one. Having a screen decorated with an logo that gives them a kind of New Avengers identity, rather than using the wings for changes, also gives them a sophisticated zip.

Without getting fixated on surreal concepts, analogous skits, interpersonal shenanigans or an overarching narrative, the trio are free to fly through a landscape of characters with unexpected behavioural quirks. There's the man who dupes people into getting a semen sample from him, the therapist who slyly uses funk music to help his patients (carried off with a convincing amount of loopyness and not overdone), and a sex addict friend who can't resist making juvenile ginger motions to simulate sex…

What's refreshing is that, for the most part, the characters are all low-status, no newsreaders, no motivational speakers, no policemen or detectives; Jigsaw’s collectively warm and casual style wouldn’t suit pompousness or self-importance.

There’s limited off-the-ball spontaneity, but when it does come –for example in response to three of the front row leaving for the loo – it is all the more impactful for its authenticity.

It’s rare to see performers have so much fun without enforced corpsing, and the simplicity of the ideas must make them fun to perform rather than dreading some very clever-clever set piece that has to be delivered off pat every night.

Perhaps the most complicated set piece is where Craine and Luurtsema have to explain why Antopolski’s pet mouse has died. The chain of events proves great fun and it must make it a joy to deliver each night, without it ever sounding convoluted.

Easy, breezy and sometimes quite cheesy, Jigsaw are a refreshing Fringe stop among shouty sketch and theme-strangled stand up.

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An extremely talented performer, totally unique and always a joy to watch.

Benny, April 2005

Same old material as last time and although he delivers it well and is very likeable,it is all very familiar and not surprising

Danny Dnaiels, March 2005

I thought he was great at the Fringe last year - I think you have to be on his wavelength to get him .. unfortunately for Dan, you average man on the street is not.

The Rehead, February 2005

Saw him in Croydon on Saturday and felt dreadfully sorry for him. He was quite appalling and seemed to have little idea that it was him who was supposed to be funny and not the audience. Never have I seen so many people heckle in a helpful manner but still he couldn't get it together.

Kate Mawby, January 2005

Rubbish.

Daniel Morris, November 2004

Judging by what I have read in the other reviews it seems that Dan has a hobby... 'dying on stage'! He started so well but it seemed his act could only last for so long. In the end death was inevitable. He ran out of things to say and tried to ask audience members to help him look for more material to use. He has got talent but does not seem to be able to use it to its full effect. A case of Desperate Dan tonight.

Paul Thacker, November 2004

It seems yet again he died on his feet. This time in Winchester. Even so, his random mutterings made the rest of his set entertaining.

Jon D, November 2004

Died at Winchester on 6 November. His delivery was non-existent, his apologies very off-putting, and telling us he'd won awards did not help.

Sharon Bentley, November 2004

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