The freedom and silliness of a sketch show with the scale to make its ridiculous ideas feel spectacular. Rating
Excellent!
Fresh from a hugely successful Edinburgh Fringe run, Crybabies: The Scaring arrives at Soho Theatre with a hilarious jump scare. This Halloween sketch show, with a loose narrative, stars Michael Clarke, Ed Jones and James Gault. Although it is a high-budget production, it somehow retains the handmade charm of a Fringe show.
Set in a spooky hotel, complete with an ominous-sounding sauna maze, an exorcism gone wrong turns out to be part of an immersive stag experience. This sets the tone for a show that is constantly breaking through genres as well as the fourth wall, pulling us in and out of its universe at will.
There is an impressive combination of precision acting and fast-paced chaos here. Every scene is completely slick, but there is a slight improv vibe to the whole thing, with off-the-cuff remarks and experimental jokes realised in XL glory. Dramatic lighting, life-sized dolls and Cecelia Carey’s set design all contribute to the extravaganza. With vast swathes of fabric draped over three tall walls, Carey’s set takes the DIY quality of Fringe and scales it up. The hotel proprietor even draws attention to the blank spaces in the theatre set, which we fill with our imaginations, by acknowledging that it isn’t attached to any walls. Comedy arrives to puncture the mystique of the horror show it parodies.
The show draws attention to both the connection and the distance between the two genres. Jump scares become punchlines, highlighting the tension-building and release structure that are used by jokes and scares alike. Similar to the set, the script consistently obliterates supernatural and mysterious horror tropes with comic literalness: Gerry the ghost, played by Gault, isn’t a ghost at all; they were just ignoring him. Comedy often comes from plot holes and mistakes in speech that undermine the horror story it is spoofing, alongside a wealth of puns, gags and slapstick routines.
Its cartoonish elements, physical comedy and stupid outfits only add to the amusing contrast between the terrifying and the absurd. It helps that Jones looks like a cartoon vampire, meant as a compliment, while Gault is not scared of a frilly crop top and short shorts. The characters are cartoonish, parodies of tropes rather than real people, which gives the whole thing a light-hearted, clowny style rather than being a serious commentary. However, they still manage to include topical references to COVID and the politically correct media.
The show is made up of a series of sketches, tied together with a loose narrative that sprawls around like untamed tentacles. There is no real singular core or point to the story, but that is not necessarily a problem. That bizarre mix between sketch and comedy play allows for a full-length show without the pressure to make a serious point or even really follow a proper narrative structure. Instead, it is fun, fast, high-impact and continuously unexpected.
The Scaring has the freedom and silliness of a sketch show, but the scale to make its ridiculous ideas feel spectacular. It embraces the chaos rather than trying to contain it, allowing the show’s absurdity to become its greatest strength.
Director: Jon Brittain
Set & Costume Designer: Cecilia Carey
Lighting Designer: Bethany Gupwell
Sound Designer: Ed Lewis
Video Designer: Nina Dunn
Illusions Designer: John Bulleid
Associate Director: Grace Duggan
Associate LX Designer: Jodie Underwood
Production Manager: Jack Boissieux
Stage Manager on Book: Verity Clayton
Crybabies: The Scaring plays until Wednesday 23 September at Soho Theatre.
