Edinburgh Fringe review by Steve Bennett

Foxdog Studios are the Kraftwerk of comedy, known for their high-tech experimentation as much as anything. And Tomorrow’s Office is no exception, with Lloyd Henning and Peter Sutton taking to a stage littered with gizmos, from ‘bongo boots’ that gives a beat as they stomp to a remote-control compressed-air sausage canon, as featured in last year’s show.

Their clothes are covered in sensors to drive all these home-made gadgets, while much of the hour comprises games pitching the left side of the audience against the right. Most shows ask you to turn your phone off, here you need it to participate – though they’ll never get a decent round of applause with everyone holding a device in one hand.

The show is like being in a video game lab and is tremendous fun, although that’s often more down to the pair’s technical invention than their comic one. 

But they have a ready quip whenever the DIY tech fails, which is surprisingly infrequently. There’s also a quiz with comedy questions and answers, a couple of strangely funny rock numbers, and a ridiculous man-sized puppet called Duckhat that’s brilliantly realised. Meanwhile, Sutton offers a wry commentary throughout, too. He’s got the same accent as Stewart Lee, and a similar attitude of resigned sarcasm.

The duo – real-life IT consultants and programmers – can’t help but be self-aware, since there’s no pretending you’re not a nerd when surrounded by enough gadgetry to reopen a Maplin’s.

Tomorrow’s Office is vaguely presented as if a lecture to sixth formers about a possible future career in IT, although the premise is quickly forgotten in favour of the game-playing in a show that’s interactive without the dread of being singled out to get on stage. Ready, players 1 through 37…

Review date: 8 Aug 2019
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett