My first love of comedy is sketch, so this Edinburgh I was like a kid in a sweet shop, spoilt for choice and cramming as much in as possible. For me, the 2015 Fringe has been dominated by female sketch duos who take the absurd to ridiculous heights and get away with it due to the rise in popularity of female comedy over the last few years. Pairings such as Roisin and Chaira, Beard and Norris and Parker are unafraid of showcasing more challenging, clever material that doesn’t need a definite punchline, but is performed with such belief and conviction that the only thing left to do is laugh.
I have been witness to (and involved in) some bizarre levels of audience interaction (Rosin and Chiara birthed an audience member through a sheet; Beard pulled me on stage to take part in the ritualistic conception between an orange and a banana), but the ladies really are raising the disgusting bar because what they’re doing is so out of the ordinary and unexpected.
These women push the barriers of sketch comedy and stand out from their male competition by pushing the grotesque, experimenting with food and fluids and juxtaposing their femininity with insane facial expressions.
It’s very exciting to see how the lines between comedy and performance can blur and a few of these groups use different techniques to generate different types of laughter from obvious punchlines, to awkward, nervous laughter and shock. This is a trend that we’ve seen develop over the last few years, with acts such as Twisted Loaf, Massive Dad and Revan and Fennell, all of whom have come through the Funny Women Awards and gone on to do great things.
Last year a lot of sketch groups used an over-arching narrative to piece together their sketches, but these women prove that you don’t need that for a show to be a success. Often people look for patterns and connections to make themselves sound more knowledgeable and profound, but sometimes there just aren’t any and that’s the beauty of it. It doesn’t have to make sense to be funny! Imagination is a powerful thing.
Join me at our next Sketch and Character workshop on Saturday 7th November to learn all about the wonderful world of sketch. Click HERE for more information.
