Tuesday 8th June, 11.00 at The ADC. £4-6.
The last Smoker of the year lived up to it's reputation as an evening for intoxicated students to laugh at bad jokes performed by amateurs on a platform. Witty but unoriginal, the show was a poorly executed agglomeration of student comedy, a.k.a. ‘what-happens-when-stressed-people-are-told-to-be-funny’. Maybe the footlights just needed another vaguely comical headliner like the Icelandic volcano to save the day with topical inspiration? I guess Cumbrian maniacs just don’t cut it.
Yet the show did have a saviour, two in fact, that even managed to crack a smile on the faces of the most stone cold sober of audience members (I think there were four of us). They came in the form of Katy Bulmer and Emma Sidi. Ms. Sidi’s sketch concerning a crack whore teacher’s bargaining with the parents of the schools young dealer demonstrated a superb mastery of comic language, admirably well executed. Joining her in professionalism, Ms. Bulmer’s poem ‘How to Get What You Want’ actually made me cry a little bit. With laughter, that is. Her work definitely needs to be published and, as this was Katy’s last Smoker, I truly hope she continues performing comedy in the world beyond Cambridge, despite not having a penis (an in joke, you needed to be there).
In light of two performances fit for TV (in the twenty first century it’s a sign that you’ve ‘made it’, or that you’ve died in an unfortunate manner) it seems even a real shame that the two sketches going on tour were, without doubt, the evening’s worst. Even the drunken audience didn’t laugh. The ‘Good For You’ sketches were so bad, watching required an extra G&T all of its own. There wasn’t even funny standing, or funny footballers- mum’s-voices. They just weren’t funny. Unbelievably unfunny. Their only saving grace was that the female one reminded me a bit of Daisy from ‘Spaced’ and ‘Spaced’ is funny, so funny it actually makes the invention of TV redeemable. Maybe they could play on that? Either way, I hope it improves for Edinburgh and wish them the best of luck, because they’ll need it.
Is it now a prerequisite that Cambridge comedy reviewers hate comedy?
Or hate shit derivative comedy.
I don't understand, that was the one of the most varied nights of 'types' of comedy for a smoker. I want to know what comedy, by this person, wouldn't be considerd shit and derivative?
Comedy that doesn't rip off everything from tim key to noel fielding and isn't shit. By which i don't mean unfunny, because that's obviously a value judgement. But it is lazy and self-satisfied, and the pathetic ball-nuzzling of these comments lets it continue like that. 'How dare someone speak out against the footlights?' you seem to weep – because they do nothing to move comedy in any direction. They are the david cameron of comedy.
I miss Milo
Maybe this reviewer saw the Wolfson Howler last night and it put Smokers into perspective…
fair review
why have you written such a bitter arsehole review that is entirely subjective and ignores every sketch that wasnt something that you could laugh at or easily mock. lots happened during the smoker that wasnt katy bulmer or sidi (not saying they werent good) what about the ghost tour sketch for example. didnt the crazy dances deserve a mention?
OK. So the Smoker happened on Tuesday and you put this article up on Saturday and its only 349 words long (yes I did paste it into word and word count it). This is a lazy review, taking no more than five minutes to write, and completely misrepresents the last smoker of the year. How on earth could the writer miss out Jacob Sharpe's fantastic standup, or the wonderful Rio Ferdinand sketch, not to mention a host of other acts, including macarenas to classical music and a number of sketches. From where I was sitting it was a varied evening of comedy. Reviewers like Ms Gavriel should, firstly, spend more time writing their reviews, and, secondly, should attempt to engage with what is performed, rather than lamely attacking a couple of footlights sketches.
Obviously valueless in terms of criticism or entertainment, but I did enjoy the reviewer's ignorance of what "headliner" means.
Holly Gavriel's disdain for intoxicated students and amateurs (what place do they have at the Amateur Dramatic Club, after all?) is confusing, given she turned up the next day at the footlights garden party, on the lookout for free booze.
Fan. Tastic.
WAAAAAAAAY! Freeloading cow.
Calm down, it is acceptable to not like footlights you awful nerds.The Edinburgh reviews, for example, have been mainly negative for the last few years – outside the bubble people aren't very impressed with this dusty shit.
Good review. Short, but fair. And who doesn't turn up at garden parties looking for free booze? Stop calling her a "freeloading cow" when it's totally, utterly irrelevant.