The Noise Next Door – Brighton Fringe Festival
This was an adrenalin filled performance, delivered with a lot of panache and punchy, energy-filled comedy acting from a troupe that was uniformly good, not afraid to self-parody and also ready to pack in the next one-liner or plot-change.
They appeared to be enjoying themsevles throughout and there was a commitment, matched by technique and talent that would allow them to hold up their heads with pride in Chicago. Here we were, faced with five young male performers, each sporting a coloured tie, more than ready to gather in our audience suggestions which serve as the fuel for improvised comedy. Jane Eyre turning into Mary Poppins was a particular personal favourite. Pace and energy are real strengths of this 100% committed improv group.
There was sometimes too much reliance on words and the delivery of clever one-liners at the expense of more physical playfulness. The audience were clearly enjoying it all and the hour rushed by.
The Noise Next Door are hungry for audience suggestions and we didn’t always provide them which much to go on on the evening I attended. The Three and Ten is an intimate space and impro comedy really does require its audience to fully pariticpate, espcially in small spaces where we can see the whites of the performers’ eyes. As an audience we didn’t always deliver, and The Noise Next Door had to work overtime to make use of the sometimes mediocre ideas we fed them. But they did it with impressive skill and wit, and the show often succeeded in rising to its fullest height to deliver the necessary strong comedy punch.
****
