THEATER REVIEW- WitTank: A Different Kettle of Fish

This 5-person Durham University sketch comedy troupe is brimming with talent, originality, and a “best of” show that has already separated the wheat from the shaft (umm...chaff).

The skits resembled live-action comic strips, with the last frame joke delivering fantastic one-line punches right on the funny bone. The show operates on a machine-gun delivery: rapid fire with the few dud scenes quickly forgotten in the transition to a new set-up. The sketches were absurd, contrived, burlesque, and easily some of the freshest material I have ever seen. Some of the highlights involved talking beers, pain medication, death row inmates, and a song about the dangers of haircutting.

There were, admittedly, a handful of dour looking members in the audience after the show, “Was that supposed to be funny?” one peevishly asked. WitTank, despite the raves of its most rampant fans, is not a “one size fits all” prescription for humour. It does not necessarily cater to those looking for incisive social commentary, political jokes, and routines on dating, terrorism, or anything that would be described as “challenging.” But if you’re looking for some sharp unadulterated silliness, this definitely beats waiting for your friends to get funny.

And that’s my bottom line: see WitTank. They’re funnier than your friends.

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My favourite headline calls the incident a “Wee Problem”

Dan Blackner, known to his friends and co-workers as “The Demon Dwarf” in the Circus of Horrors here at the Fringe Festival, was recently hospitalized for gluing a vacuum cleaner to his most private of privates.

The main part of his performance involved dragging the vacuum cleaner across the stage with his member, but when the prop broke before the show, silly Dan attempted to quickly repair the problem without waiting for the glue to properly dry.

More information can be found here.

I foresee a national speaking tour in high schools across the country warning teens about the dangers of interchangeable parts, damn you Eli Whitney!

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