2011 Edinburgh Fringe
Beta Males review
Hard-nosed businessmen, plagiarising stowaways and a former secretary of state all heading for trouble in Berwick-Upon-Tweed... what more can you want from a comedy show?
The Beta Males weave a hilarious web in The Train Job, executed with brilliant timing and delivery. I admit I went into the gig expecting it to be like other sketch groups; you know, dressing in the same clothes, and one with a guitar. Well, they were wearing the same clothes - even down to purple shoelaces - and guess what, one of them does crack out the guitar... But you can forgive them for this (everyone has to have a format, right?) because the show is bloody marvellous, so much so, that the first sentence uttered gets a belly laugh from the crowd.
It was wrapped up in a lovely narrative of the launch of the new Olympus high-speed super train, which can complete the journey from Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley in just 58 minutes (source: The Daily Rail). Described as TransAlbion CEO Evelyn Sands' "giant metal girlfriend", Olympus is fuelled in a rather curious way, however, and becomes a temporary home to a cast of characters, each carefully observed.
My favourite thing was the way the Beta Males used the stage, the audience and themselves to tell the story. It was inventive and, well, simply lovely. They're a bunch of clever chaps to morph from politicians and travelling hobos to whirling helicopters and motorbikes. And I've never seen such a funny series of blackouts before (I'll not explain - you'll have to see it to find out!).
All in all, a slick show from a polished set of performers and a nice story to go with it. I'm looking forward to see what they come up with next.
The Beta Males: The Train Job listing