Sofa Specific

• Brian Donaldson
• 22 August 2013

This article is from 2013.

Slapstick and silent buffoonery

Certainly, there are few shows that will be like Sofa Specific this Fringe. Anyone assuming that an hour featuring four young guys will be just another patchy sketch show has something of a surprise awaiting them. For there’s a fifth character on board in this show: a beaten-up two-seater sofa which is used and abused during the course of this set, while it initially harbours a secret of its own.

And at a Fringe where loud males are desperate to have themselves heard, it’s also refreshing to have a blokey quartet not saying a single word (other than the odd grunt and mumble under their breath). Still, there are actually very few laughs to be had during Sofa Specific as the team recreate and reference some classic movie moments (from Reservoir Dogs to The Magnificent Seven) and bring us some nice imagery (the cushions being moulded into angel wings is a particularly nice bit).

Slapstick and silent buffoonery won’t be everyone’s comedy bag, but as an antidote to much of the fare on the Fringe, it’s not a bad way to kick back and relax.

Just the Tonic at The Caves, 556 5375, until 25 Aug, 12.55pm, £9–£10.