Long Tooth

Bathroom

Long Tooth - Fringe 2009
Live Review

Mixing historical reenactments with sketch may not be everyone’s idea of fun but Julie (Trudi Jackson) and Liz (Vivienne Gibbs) like nothing better than pretending to be figures from bygone days.

The structure of this show is reasonably fresh, with quickfire, onstage costume changes, but the old double-act trick of strained relationship between sensible straightman (Liz) and wacky comedy prat-faller (Julue) is stale, with the rather dull duo doing nothing to add sparkle.

Not that they adhere very strongly to their allotted roles: when Liz ends up stretched across the audience, dry humping a man in the second row to prove she’s not a virgin any form of characterisation or believability flies out the window.

There are a great deal of seemingly unfinished sketches, the usual curse of the underwritten sketch show. Punchlines – or the lack of them – hanging in the air waiting for laughs are only made all the more painful by the noise spilling out from from the show next door. As the noise of laughter and applause drift through the walls it only heightens the realisation that this is going to be a very slow hour.

Alongside the real bombs – such as the terribly boring and seemingly pointless Joan of Arc reenactment and the incredibly tasteless Myra Hindley interview – there are the occasional glimpses of promise. Between the sketches we are told what Julie and Liz do in their free time, which is when the actresses are actually free to shine. There is some lovely audience interaction and a true glimpse of what these two could be capable of if they had better writers and more effective direction.

The Jane Austen sketch also gives a tantalising glance of what could be, but the glance is rewarded with a poke in the eye when yet again the piece feels unfinished.