Review: Brewhaha! Sat 21st May @ The British School by Annabel Hollis

A not to be missed trio of feisty, female fun featuring Helen Wood and her wonderfully witchy team Jo Woolley and Kate Lewis...

An alchemically rich brew of audience participation and quick witted improvisation brings a fresh, on the edge entertainment set in an archetypal village and embedded within the lively music of Village People. From out of the village emerge three quirky characters with dialogue which is  fast moving, infectious and energising.  Their words bubble forth from audience suggestions picked out of a magical cauldron hat  and might be a village location, the line of a song, a film genre or emotional state. Their facial gestures and body movements entertain as much as their words.There is never a dull moment in the village with one scene quickly morphing into the next and the next.

Quirky, dynamic and mischievous Brewhaha! are a comedy force to be reckoned with. Each woman enhances the performance of the other. It is a joy to witness their co-creation. Go and see them!

Annabel Hollis is a massage therapist at the Cotswold Health Centre, Stroud,  has written a mini book Coming Home to Earth and had several art exhibitions locally

Review: Penny Gaff Presents - Simon Munnery's Fylm School @ SITE Festival by Jamie Baldwin

Images by Jo Leahy

SITE Festival, Brunel Goods Shed, 23rd April

Part sit-down - as opposed to stand-up - comedy, part performance art and part amateur film project, welcome to the wonderful world of Simon Munnery's Fylm School...

In an era of selfies, perhaps it's no surprise our comedians are indulging in such narcissistic behaviour! Quite how they felt being able to watch themselves on a giant screen as they performed, who knows...We had the usual - but delightfully unusual - suspects of Penny Gaff present; Jonny Fluffypunk, Uta Baldauf and Miserable Malcolm. Jonny's moustache on widescreen being a sight to behold. As was Malcolm's 'Void of Despair' and Uta's wordery. 

However, it was special celebrity guest Nina Conti who stole the show. Out came the infamous 'Monkey' who viewed the whole set-up rather dimly as some 'real Orwellian shit'. Not that it stopped him from literally talking out of his arse at one stage, and pleading with Nina to go down on him - the whole evening felt equally voyeuristic.

And then to Mr Munnery himself. A compère supremo from an alternative universe. His astute observations on political and social life, seen through the eyes of two pegs on a first date talking about a common interest in skiing; crucified men debating the futility of it all; and, a shy avocado taking it all 'slowly, slowly.... like guacamole'. 

Pure, unadulterated nonsense. The masses loved it.

Jamie Baldwin is a renewable energy specialist with a background as a freelance journalist for the BBC, Discover Channel and Panos International