A whirlwind of quick, witty sketches kept the audiences constantly wondering quite was happening, and anticipating what could possibly come next...
As the warm up act clearly displayed, comedy can go one of two ways. Add student comedy into the mix and it very quickly becomes risky business. However the Leeds Tealights were able to have the audience laughing right from their theatrical opening scene, and kept the laughs coming throughout the whole performance.
I first watched the Leeds Tealights perform at the end of last semester, and it's fair to say I found the oldest sketch comedy company at Leeds University very amusing (insert a whole week of raving about them to my friends). So when I saw that they were performing again at the end of November, I couldn't wait to see what they had to offer this time around.
I was slightly worried that over time I had hyped them up in my head. Were they in fact just a slightly funny comedy group, that only makes you laugh after a couple of cheap pints at Old Bar? Thank fully, I was not disappointed.
On a quest to save the group from their economic troubles, the the group of five students depicted different sketches they were going to perform at a fundraising show. These sketches had supposedly been found in a mysterious, if not worrying, looking book from a charity shop.
Some sketches were quirky and original. Some were dramatically cliche. Yet it seemed that every one hit the mark.
The show made light of everything from the confusion of 'opposite day', to the awkwardness of urinal etiquette, to the more cynical side to Mary Poppins. You've got to hand it to them, the Tealights are nothing if not creative.
It seems that their time spent at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer created a polished and well thought out piece of comedy. Only a fool would pass up the opportunity to watch their next performance. I know I'll be there.
Words by Charlie Strang