2010 Edinburgh Fringe
Pros From Dover review
I'd heard good things about Pros From Dover. In fact, none other than Jimmy Carr recommended them on the basis of their 2009 show, so with this in mind I scaled the ridiculously steep stairs at the GRV to settle down for their afternoon show in a barely full room. And the trio were fine, you know, just fine. Not brilliant, not bad - just fine.
I wonder if it was because I'd stayed up very, very late the night before, but the show didn't grip my attention the entire time. I'm pretty sure this wasn't the performers' fault - each were pretty good - so based on my previous and wide-ranging experience of sketch comedy, I'm plumping for the fact that the material didn't stand up to heavy scrutiny.
I enjoyed the Sir John Mills skit and the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire parody, which ends up in tragedy. But the weak sketches outweighed the good. I cringed at the group of football fans jeering and commentating on a make-up demonstration, and I disliked the scene involving a drugged up mum and her blind son.
The gig is part of the Five Pound Fringe and in the 2-4-1 offer, which means audience members are paying a grand total of 83p to each to be entertained. Clearly this is massively selling themselves short, but I can't help but think this knowledge would gradually wear any performer down. Would you want to work for an hour for the same? No. I've not enjoyed writing this review for this very fact - it seems really harsh to judge them on what is doubtless a hard way to make a living.
So while this show wasn't the best I've seen, I'm not giving up on them and I'm looking forward to revisiting them in 2011. I think they have a lot more to give.