Press
Reviews
Byron and Shelley: A Romantics Comedy – Fringe Review, April 2010
“Overall ‘Byron and Shelley: A Romantics Comedy’ is a good show with a great deal of potential: the cast are talented, the setting is well thought out, and the on-stage dynamic is often hilarious”
Byron and Shelley: A Romantics Comedy – Daily Info, October 2009:
“Fortunately, the cast- all seasoned comedians and former members of the Oxford Imps- managed to avoid this. They were genuinely funny, and part of the fun was seeing the brilliant skill of performers using the freedom of improv to best effect. As Shelley earnestly proclaimed, “True art is never predictable”. The performers were able to build up to an obvious punchline, and then smack you in the funnybone with an unexpected subversion…The one-liners were certainly great, but you could get those from any improv act. What really set Byron and Shelley apart was having a whole hour to play with, which allowed for running jokes and character development.”
“You’d have to be mad, bad, and dangerous to know not to go.”
Byron and Shelley: A Romantics Comedy – Oxford Theatre Review, October 2009:
“So did these total strangers entertain me? In short – yes. I have almost enjoyed it more now that I have time to absorb it all. There were delightful verbal wanderings and some wonderful ideas emerged. It seems a shame that they could not be collated into a structured, formal play at some stage.”
Byron and Shelley: A Romantics Comedy – Cherwell, October 2009:
“It takes a very talented group of actors to construct a cohesive and engaging play rather than a garbled mismatch of improvised sketches. This production, directed by Tom Greeves, hung together surprisingly well…this performance was commendable: the story was rounded, the interactions funny and the portrayals of the characters showed the beloved poets in a deliciously un-rosy light…I recommend the play…I can promise you entertaining comedy from talented young actors.”
Correctness Gone Mad – Daily Info, January 2009:
“If you’re thinking of watching TV tomorrow, which I know you are, please lever yourself out of that La-Z-boy and get yourself down there. If nothing else, your effort will be rewarded many times over by the surprise at the end.”
Correctness Gone Mad – Oxford Student, January 2009:
“Correctness Gone Mad is a self-proclaimed experiment in producing a top-notch quality comedy show without using the clichés, such as sex, obscenities, or hot-button, controversial issues, that have come to characterise much modern comedy. Resulting from this endeavour is a series of scenes characterized as much by their clever writing and meta-criticism as they are by their clear rooting in a solid comedic tradition. …if some of the acting is overly affected here and there, it is usually smoothed over by the inventiveness and well-executed verbal acrobatics in the script itself. Indeed, the writing rings with confidence as it strays into the complex or ridiculous…avoiding the obvious in the process. In this kind of show, one does not see the laughs coming. Each joke comes from around a corner, unexpectdly and entertainingly so…The idea to produce a show completely void of any of the things Messrs Holmes and Murray outlined – scandalous topics, obscene turns of phrase, and the like – is a noble one indeed, and perhaps one to which all our comics should put their hand.”
Press releases
Press release for Byron and Shelley: A Romantics Comedy available here.
