Sheeps are, from what I could ascertain, Fringe mainstays. Having been together for the best part of 14 years before going on a six-year hiatus following an argument in a bar, the trio are back at the Fringe with new material. The performance begins with some meta-comedy, kicking off with a sketch that ends in the acknowledgement that it is a sketch, and we are, in fact, in a sketch comedy show.
I'm glad they told me, because it certainly wasn’t apparent.
Over the next hour, we go through a number of 'comedy' sketches including Keir Starmer negotiating with a killer clown, a piece on woke Superman, a conversation from within the House of Commons about bestiality, and a ChatGPT written series of sketches. In 2024, I feel any show that turns to ChatGPT for material has perhaps missed the boat.
None of the sketches were particularly funny; a mix of banal and predictable. This really surprised me given the sold-out show – although I think the audience may have been Sheeps diehards. The challenges were only exacerbated by a faulty microphone, cutting in and out and leaving the audience to strain to hear what was being said. Thankfully, the laughter wasn’t raucous enough to drown it out.
The upside was that, at the very least, the three did appear to genuinely enjoy themselves on stage. It’s always nice to see artists genuinely loving what they do. After a long hiatus, I imagine they’re excited to be back on stage, and a sold-out room suggests that there are certainly people who were eager to see them.
It’s just a shame I couldn’t share that.
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