Or rather 'Nights'. Tuesday to Thursday this week, Mark and I, and three others, helped writer and performer John Finnemore showcase himself and his material at the Betsey Trotwood pub in Farringdon, and it went very well indeed. Here's a review of it from the Evening Standard for those of you who were unable to attend:
Frisky frolics with a breezy flourish
Revues are invariably inconsistent and Dead Ringers contributor John Finnemore's frisky showcase is no exception. What is promising is that although he undoubtedly hogs the sharpest skits for his own appearances, plenty of intriguing, refreshing material is left over for his talented team.
There is the obligatory folk spoof, the compulsory wedding send-up, the mandatory - emphasis on tory - Middle Englander. But Finnemore infuses clichés with considerable wit. The nuptials are a particularly neat anti-Richard Curtis subversion, with the jaded couple reworking their vows to declare their despair rather than devotion. Communication breakdowns are a leitmotif. Kevin Baker and Beth Morrey reveal the hidden meanings behind the most casual pub drink - second rounds cannot commence until romantic commitments are clarified.
Elsewhere dog walkers Baker and Marianne Levy conduct an abrupt courtship via canine metaphor.
The style switches breezily between Izzardish anthropomorphism - pit ponies bemoaning their lot - and rapid-fire Fast Show quickies.
Finnemore excels as ranting Right-winger Roger Wattis and nervy romantic Donald Kite. Most enjoyable is his three-hander with Mark Evans and James Bachman as useless philanthropists unable to give away massive yachts. Another communication breakdown.
One message gets through, though. Finnemore is sailing towards a bright future.
Bruce Dessau