Have you ever been to a dinner party where you didn’t know anyone and even though everyone is trying their best to include you, you kind of wish you were in on their private jokes (and that one of them wasn’t in his underwear)? That’s probably the best analogy we can come up with to describe the experience of watching Seduction: a sketch show for lovers. A series of sketches loosely based on love and seduction were performed to us by our merry and good-humoured hosts as they filled our goblets to the brim, and as a warm fuzzy feeling consumed us we became increasingly enamoured with their laissez-faire attitude to performance.

“The audience loved it, convulsing with laughter at every word”

Some of the sketches themselves were funny (though the good ones too short, and the bad ones too long) - Shaw, McAlister and Woolfe are clearly competent comedians, though this felt a bit more like a dress rehearsal than a finished product. Eager to include the audience as they bumbled about the stage, with a charmingly self-conscious clumsiness, they at times broke down the fourth wall with a little bit too much enthusiasm. Then again, the audience loved it, convulsing with laughter at every word. Although it did seem to be primarily composed of friends of the cast members, and it was hard to tell whether this heightened or diminished our response to the performance.

“A few of the punchlines left a lot to be desired”

There were a number of highlights - think derelict love shacks, douchebag frat boys, human sacrifices, and audience prompted semi-nudity. Although the wider concepts behind the sketches were sometimes delightfully original, a few of the punchlines left a lot to be desired – which was somewhat disappointing considering the potential of the sketches. Having said that, even at the points where it was clear a joke had fallen flat, nothing could bring them down – if anything it spurred them on – acknowledging their foibles with an infectious laughter.

Review: Shot in the Dark

All in all, an enjoyable evening – we ascended from the Pembroke New Cellars with that sense of relief not dissimilar to the one you get when you make your way home from that same dinner party where you didn’t know anyone: you’ve made it out in one piece, it wasn’t that bad, the tagine was delicious but the conversation was occasionally lacking. Would we go again straight away? Probably not. Would we recommend it to a friend? Sure.... they might not manage to seduce you as the title suggests, but they’ll probably make you laugh