Review from the Vault Festival, London

The funniest sketch from the wonderfully named double act of Grubby Little Mitts contains just two lines. Yet Rosie Nicholls and Sullivan Brown ride the guffaws their shock payoff generates for a good couple of minutes, reacting almost imperceptibly to the audience’s response in a way that sustains several waves of laugher. Then, with similarly perfect timing, they depart.

It’s typical of the pin-sharp performances that underpin this sketch show, which is remarkably accomplished by any yardstick, let alone for a debut.

Yes, they can be a bit overly-theatrical sometimes, smug in their comic conceits, as well as being pretty terrible at writing satisfying endings for their scenes – criticisms that are not rare in the world of sketch comedy. But what elevates them from their peers is, firstly, a wild unpredictability in the comic style of each skit, and, secondly, a compelling delivery, tightly directed by former Beta Male performer Jon Gracey.

The opening scene turns the familiar feeling of instantly forgetting someone’s name into weird psychodrama territory, complete with Pinteresque pauses between semi-non-sequiturs. Later, by way of absolute contrast, there’s a scene that could have come from the golden age of silent cinema, getting laughs out a piece of wood that even Eric Sykes missed in The Plank.

Other skits draw on the  irresistible sexual chemistry between the pair, unexpectedly making a lustful catchphrase out of ‘coffee for my mouth’, while in recurring scenarios Nicholls does to singing what Les Dawson did to the piano, offering the sort of off-key caterwauling that only an accomplished vocalist could pull off. The finale is a slice of rambunctious silliness built, somewhat improbably, on a gruesome premise… and took a considerable amount of prop-making to execute.

Broadly, each scene is an uncomfortable comedy of manners – but it’s impossible to predict just how they will play out tonally, which might seem like a drawback if you want to project a consistent comedy attitude but here keeps the audience on their toes. Instead, cohesion is built from theatrical tricks –  such as the all-red props and chaise longue around which all the action takes place, – as well as the slick choreography of the comedy.

Brown’s a big, brash comic, often seeking laughs by ratcheting up the intensity of his performance as high as possible, best illustrated when he gets irate at his date having never seen any of the blockbuster movies he cites. Nicholls is more understated, but that actually makes her the more interesting of the pair, getting laughs from naturalistic responses and astute timing.

But the contrasting dynamic works wonderfully well, thanks to a close performing relationship that the pair forged at  Bristol Old Vic Theatre School  and have built on via various online projects. The complementary nature of their styles is probably best demonstrated in a scene in which Brown offers a sporting-style commentary on his partner folding some clothes, before taking a turn for the bitter-sweet.

This show, which debuted at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, is an impressive calling card for these two talented, immensely watchable performers and their inventive comic writing. We will see more of them.

• Grubby Little Mitts have more nights at Vault Festival, as well as appearance at the Leicester and Glasgow comedy festival. Dates.

Review date: 9 Feb 2023
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett