JL Roberts and Nadia Kamil Present Wisecrackin' Midsqueezin' Behemoth

Note: This review is from 2008

Review by Steve Bennett

John Luke Roberts and Nadia Kamil have a pair of the most skewed minds on the Fringe. Theirs is a two hander of oddball skits, peculiar impressions and BNP sponsorship (I’m pretty confident that they were joking about this bit) performed with a winning chemistry and an endearing dollop of self-deprecation in the face of the small crowd.

A little participation was required of this diminutive but discerning audience, when we were required to read from a flipchart, a role which was executed with a mixture of aplomb and reluctance.

Opening with a ludicrous, and some would argue unlikely, conversation between a man in the past and a man in the future was followed by a song for the sponsors and then into a whole realm of barmy notions - a running gag involving the sale of bunk beds and mistaken celebrity identity was one of the most enjoyable.

Ideas spark off each other juxtaposing some of the most unlikely elements as the set roamed about, from Banksy to the pair’s hermaphrodite mother/father.

Familiar ideas and topics that also make an appearance are given an off-the-wall twist; the latest new coffee product available on a street corner is the Slappaccino – less of a drink and more a slap in the face (when this skit and one on etiquette are performed the front row might want to consider staying in their wet weather gear).

Though Kate Bush has been the object of parody for a few acts this year, Roberts produces the most unhinged of the lot, creating an image that certainly endures in the memory.

A quirky slice of festival fodder that more people should be checking out.

Reviewed by: Marissa Burgess

Review date: 1 Jan 2008
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett

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