The Three Englishmen review

The Three Englishmen (of which there are, of course, four) start off their show in one of the politest ways we've ever come across; by acting as ushers and personally greeting and seating their guests. That's exactly what it feels like to join the Gentlemen in their show: as though you're their guests in their madcap home.

There's nothing quite as pleasing as that unexpected welcome, and the show itself has a lot to live up to as a result of it. The opening few sketches feel worryingly clunky, coming after a wonderfully put together a-cappella sea shanty about defunct technology, but the show quickly settles into a snappy, entertaining rhythm combining wild-eyed surrealism with a stage presence which means that the guys are able to make each other laugh and, at times, completely break down without ever seeming forced or like it's going to break the momentum of the show.

It's a show which takes place with a mad-cap energy that leaves the audience exhausted by the end. The Englishmen cover everything from musical horses to "those guys" from IT, all with a beautifully Python-like treatment of both themselves, the audience and their subject material.

Their anarchic style and often self-referential material make them seem all the more charming and to spend an hour with the Englishmen will see a lot more belly laughs than many of the sketch shows at the Fringe. And when all's said and done, who could ask for more than that?

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The Three Englishmen: Optimists listing