2010 Edinburgh Fringe
Late Night Gimp Fight review
Late Night Gimp Fight had been nominated for best newcomers in the Edinburgh Comedy Awards just hours before this review was conducted, and it didn't take long to see why.
The five strong sketch group have some very well written material, and deliver an hour of fast-paced, high-energy, well directed fun. Audiences should be warned this is not a subtle, nuanced thought-provoking show - it's loud, rude and crude late-night laughs. It's a show which is probably best enjoyed after a beer or two. The name probably gives that much away.
There's a sketch involving semen, a hint of necrophilia, some full frontal nudity, a rude twist on the tale of Sleeping Beauty, and many other similar adult themes.
The crude nature of the show clearly doesn't bother the audience though. Out of the hour, I only counted two sketches which didn't really tickle the audience - a 10 second skit involving a reference to Waiting For Godot that went over the head of most of the audience, and a sketch about a used condom that was just a bit too obvious. Everything else received big laughs.
There's plenty to enjoy here: musical numbers with cleverly altered lyrics, some great acting on display in a sketch about a driving instructor on the edge of a breakdown (admittedly not a new idea, but the acting was great) and a deliciously dark series of sketches about a man who has killed his friend's son.
'Inventive' is a word written big in my notebook. The group make excellent use of a series of short videos to fill the gaps between sketches. These little clips lead to some huge laughs as adverts, songs and films are interrupted by a man in a gimp mask. The best of which was probably the gimp trying to back apologetically out of the famous Psycho shower scene. Meanwhile Late Night Gimp Fight end the show in dramatic style - using just some simple hoodies as props, the fivesome present the cleverest physical comedy sketch I've seen for ages.
It maybe a bit embarrasing to ask for this group at the box office ("I'd like to see...") but, provided you're ok with rude and crude humour, there's some guaranteed laughs to be had from your ticket.