Review by Steve Bennett

The Footlights gang have been nothing if not ambitious with this year's show.

Themed sketches, interlinked by the recurring character of Death - who turns out to be a mild-mannered Welshman with repressed homosexual leanings - provide a depth and a suitably theatrical feel to the whole proceedings.

All in all, this clever show is impressively well-constructed, brilliantly staged and almost perfectly acted.

There are nice ideas at play, and the array of young characters is pretty spot-on. In fact, there's only one real problem. No laughs.

For while there is an undercurrent of dry wit, it's an ambience rather than anything more substantial. Were this a piece of theatre, that would be fine, but since it calls itself comedy, would it be too much to ask for more than the odd wry smile?

But you can't help but get the impression that this is one of those shows which feels that laughter would be beneath it. Just some cheap way of pandering to an audience.

The team seems too busy shouting 'look at our talents' to employ them to maximum comedy effect. But if they could just get over themselves and focus their undeniable skills on forming some actual humour then they could really be onto something.

Review date: 1 Jan 2009
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett