Original Review:

Show Rating:

The Treason Show is in grave danger of giving revue a good name.

This word has come to be synonymous all that's poor in self-aggrandising undergraduate toss, but this supremely talented Brighton-based team turn such expectations on their head.

For this is a most impressive parade of topical songs and sketches, brilliantly written and exquisitely performed.

Time and time again, these short and pointed routines sail beautifully towards their target, then sink it with a well-aimed punchline.

Nothing's milked for more than it's worth, the intelligent and knowingly satirical point is made with a perfect joke and the show cracks on, keeping a lively pace that makes it seem much quicker than its 90 minutes.

They've even got the songs right, a notoriously tricky thing to do, with genuine gags sparkling in almost every line. And they're damn catchy, too.

Not quite every sketch is flawless, it has to be said, and jokes occasionally misfire - a particularly ill-advised running gag based on a series of dismally poor Tomb Raider puns standing out as the worst idea by far.

But such abberations are rare indeed, and overall this is a show of immense quality in every aspect of its writing and performance.

If, like me, you'd lost confidence in the old-fashioned topical sketch show, then see this and have your faith restored.