Show Rating:

Sketch shows at the Fringe can often be painful experiences, often making misguided attempts at Boosh-esque surrealism or trying desperately to be as offensive as possible in order to garner column inches.

Greedy doesn't do either of these, nor does it attempt anything wild, bizarre or format-breaking. As such it finds itself in something of a minority, providing straightforward well-written sketches with great punchlines. It isn't afraid to go to darker places, with sketches on incest and paedophilia - but it does so because it has an amusing take on them, not to simply shock the audience.

It's not a perfect show, and some of the purely physical sketches do fall flat, and the the sketches aren't woven into some sort of consistent narrative (with the exception of one recurring sketch, each is its own self-contained tale), but in many ways the freedom gained from a lack of theme or framework leaves the writers free to focus on simply writing good jokes.

Greedy also has a wonderfully joyful silliness about it, and even though it may touch on darker topics it does so in such a bizarre way that it never loses its sense of fun. The use of music, in one sketch towards the end in particular, adds to this effect and ensures the audience leave with a cheery disposition.

It's not the vanguard of a sketch-show revolution, it won't challenge your world view nor will it make you question the nature of existence; but it will make you laugh, and it will put a smile on your face, and that's the most important thing.

Dean Love