Review by Steve Bennett

When Men In Coats burst onto the comedy circuit a little over a year ago, their inventive visual clowning was like a breath of fresh air.

Now, they have managed to sustain that pace, that inspiration and that sheer silliness into an impressive Edinburgh debut.

These manic parka-clad comics reduce the audience to helpless laughter within seconds, as balloon faces emerge from their furry hoods, and barely let up for the full 60 minutes.

In fact the main danger is missing another quickfire visual gem because you're still chuckling at the last one - and there's rarely enough time to work out how one gag was accomplished before the next comes along.

It must be a physically gruelling time for these hard-working performers, and they do allow themselves a slower tea-break sketch t o recover - a necessary change of pace, but the only time the otherwise relentless show flags, though even here there are a couple of good gags.

If you thought silent and slapstick comedy was dead, and for good reason, think again. These energetic duo reinvigorate a genre that could one day prove hugely lucrative as no language barrier can stop them becoming international heroes.

As well as being just plain silly, there's often an underlying streak of sadism in some of the skits, as limbs are pulled out and extremities sliced off all in the name of comedy.

But, of course, this show's about as dark as the surface of the sun - it's sheer entertainment, that nobody with a sense of fun could fail to enjoy.

Review date: 1 Jan 2002
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett