Comedy has always been a place to express the inexpressible, the extreme and the extraordinary. Casual Violence Comedy’s new sketch show, The C**t Monologues, knows this full well. From a misunderstood fascist traffic warden to a Viagra purchasing Neanderthal, The C**t Monologues takes the audience on a magical mystery tour through the minds of the people society would rather keep covered up.
All six cast members threw themselves into the roles of these misfits with evident relish, each bringing their own comedic talent to add different dynamics to the show. The most surreal monologue, a man who engages in sexual activities with a ghost, had an excellent reception due to Greg Cranness’ sense of character and comic timing. It was nice to see that the cast had been able to inject themselves into their monologues, however there were certain moments where this freedom perhaps should have been reined in, as too much ad-libbing detracted from the character that had been created. A good touch applied to the monologues was the element of audience interaction throughout which helped endear the characters to the audience and make the darkness of the comedy less alienating.
Occasionally it seemed the approach of pushing the boundaries of acceptability was taken a little too far, which in fact reduced the comedy of what was being said. In certain speeches there was the sense that if the tirade of obscenities had stopped just a little earlier, the comic effect would have been much greater.
Overall James Hamilton offered up a cleverly written, well-cast and well-directed show. While a few monologues came across as less polished and a little too obvious in their humour than others containing more depth, what was generally received was a slick ensemble performance; establishing a dark comedy niche which Casual Violence Comedy could fill quite nicely.
[…] A lovely review from Ellen Carr at The Badger Online this week for October’s The C**t Monologues…Read it below! […]