The audience file into a simple auditorium - no frills, except for a silent oblong of blue light against a centre black flat. An empty canvas to complement the frenetic energy and character minutae that is about to burst forth onto an eagerly awaiting audience.

 

We know what we are getting from the moment the first character utters 'Please, no names, Mr Turner' and a battle of proverbs ensues. From that point onwards, these actor / comedians squeeze every ounce of laughter from the script, not letting a single sideways glance or raised eyebrow escape their attention. Perfect comic timings and awkward silences - in particular when Rufus Hambledon mishears a comment about his wife from another character - keeps the audience in hysterics. In addition, the use of modern day wordage 'he's a div' and, my personal favourite, ' chinny reckon' serves to remind us that not only do the actors have their tongues firmly in their cheeks but also that they probably had even more fun devising this, than we are having watching it.

 

Brilliant character creations are realised from the incompetently evil Brother Steve, the dastardly Mr Frost and the bumbling children's author, Rufus Hambledon. Humphrey Ker, David Reed and Thom Tuck provide us with a plethora of Dickensian characters, showing great talent for accents and those physical details that make otherwise stereotypical characters so very real.

 

The show is liberally peppered with moments of true brilliance, not least the use of shadow puppets (from Jeremy Bidgood) to depict chase scenes and legends. These too, are hilarious and silly in equal portions.  A superbly mood-enhancing soundscape of classical music, complemented by subtle but effective lighting give this show a deliciously exciting edge. The use of props in some scenes and lack thereof in others serves to provide the actors more opportunities to fuel their comedy weapons as misunderstandings and confusions ensue.
 
It is no surprise to see that the trio are all expert improvisers, not least the panto ad libs as the audience 'hiss' the nemesis, Frost, but also the structure of the piece as a whole, seeming to owe much to the longform structures of which the actors are clearly very comfortable inhabiting.

If you like Spymonkey, if you remember Newman and Baddiel's 'History Today' and if you just want to have a damnable good laugh, then be (very) entertained by Aeneas Faversham Forever.