2011 Edinburgh Fringe
The Fudge Shop review
Beginning and ending with huge chunks of delicious fudge, Toby Williams, Tony Dunn, David Gibson and Patch Hyde deliver a light, silly, story which keeps the audience laughing so hard there's barely time to breathe, even as our heads spin with sugar highs.
Slapstick, songs and huge characters give this an air of pantomime - with all the energy and friendliness that implies. Yes, there are funny faces and silly wigs, but the performers deliver their groan-inducing one-liners so well that they turn them into genuine belly-laughs.
Without ever seeming to work too hard or strain for some complex award-grabbing insight, the script and performers are quite capable of outwitting their audience and taking a seemingly obvious gag somewhere a little quirkier.
In a festival where comedians are too often distracted from being funny by a moral message, theme, or attempts to seem clever, The Fudge Shop is simply fun - lots of fun - for the brilliantly talented performers as well as the delighted crowd. A real treat.