‘Big Butter’ is watching and The Sardines have a comedy show to address it. Livvie Newman, Sarah Alli and Cecilia Orr’s sketch show In Butter is a promising work in progress that is as ridiculous as it is hilarious.
Taking you on a journey from girly talk-shows to Stephen Sondheim, this show has everything sketch and character comedy fans are looking for. With appearances from Princess Diana, your local hairdresser, the Princess and the Pea, and Barbie, the comedians transformed into various characters seamlessly — their ability to make jokes about such a huge variety of things was astonishing.
Throughout the show there was a voice-over with words from their ‘sponsor’; Big Butter has a brainwashing-style presence that makes the title of the show — In Butter — relevant throughout. You never know what they have in store next, and each bit left me excited for the next.
The trio commanded the stage brilliantly. No matter how small the character, I found myself compelled and intrigued by their motivations. They had the ability to create whole worlds in seconds, creating hilarious scenarios for the audience to experience. While the sketches didn’t really have much in common, they were all similarly silly. Their clowning abilities shone in this silliness. Little gags with props and elements of slapstick rounded off the humour. While they were minimally used, they were effective throughout — entertaining every individual in the venue.
Ultimately, the strength of The Sardines was their self-awareness. Not taking themselves seriously made my experience as an audience member easy-going, as I was able to laugh along without feeling as though it was expected of me. This being said, it was also easy to enjoy due to the constant stream of delightfully strange jokes.
For a show that is a work in progress, I found it surprisingly well-rounded, rehearsed, and performed. They managed to flow from one sketch to the next with a little help from a set-list, and almost fully realised every character. With only the smallest amount of fine-tuning, this will be an excellent show for anyone looking for an hour of goofy sketch comedy.
In Butter (WIP) is running 15-17 August at Just The Tonic at The Subway. Buy tickets here.
Image by Ollie Uglow.
