Unfortunately, As Seen As Possible got off to a bad start. The brightly lit hall of Christs’ New Court Theatre felt distinctly clinical as we took our seats. On the screen, a video rotated through shots of the cast members in black and white staring intensely back at us, as if we were on a Zoom call to the Blair Witch Project. Finally Andy Warhol informs us that the show is going to begin, struggling to get out some opening gags about the “concept of celebrity” over the whirling cacophony of noise as the projector recoils back into the ceiling. From here we face 60 minutes of sketches concerning the nature of celebrity and the failings and frivolities of the rich and famous. From teen-fiction authors to viral dance videos, this show leaves no stone unturned in the rote listing of pop-culture superficiality. Hilarity ensues? Not quite.

Amusing premises felt unmined and clichés overused as we moved between scenes, often without a chuckle from the crowd. The issue was that the cast got so caught up in engaging in the mundane interactions of their characters and spewing overly long dialogue at each other that they didn’t have time to make any jokes. Tongue in cheek references flew relentlessly between anxiously fumbled lines - we were duly reminded of TikTok and “okay boomer” within the first few minutes - but simply bombarding the audience with whimsical references isn’t a substitute for making a joke about them.

“Simply bombarding the audience with whimsical references isn’t a substitute for making a joke”

The social subjects of mockery were largely low hanging fruit that the audience would surely agree with poking fun at, from sleazy politicians and pretentious art collectors to lazy game-show hosts. But reminding us that these people aren’t funny or interesting is not, de facto, funny or interesting. So I largely found myself nodding along to this warm-spirited production, totally rooting for the nervous cast and holding out for a comedic catharsis that just didn’t arrive.

The more successful segments were where the cast had learned lines effectively, and felt confident enough to actively engage with the audience. Particularly original and thought provoking was Ariel Hebditch’s sketch as an “asexual vampire”, lamenting the tribulations of “my food getting a boner”. To be sure, the jokes didn’t all land, and a playful discussion of sexual politics and consent using a parody of politically correct terminology felt uncomfortable, disrupting the light-hearted tone of the show with a lopsided attempt at serious themes. But the absurdity of the premise and vitality of the performance was genuinely refreshing, and provided a smattering of laughs that were lacking elsewhere.

“The group’s comedy was strongest when short, sweet and uncomplicated”

Still, there is no value in cynicism, and it’s important to celebrate the enthusiasm of the cast and the bravery of stand-up comedy to a jury of your peers, even if it doesn’t quite come together. The clear projection and playful charisma of Vivian Wang and Joe Morgan made them the standouts among the cast, energising their scenes and mining the best humour they could from their limited dialogue. A further strength was the technical tightness - dynamic lighting was accomplished flawlessly and relevant musical numbers played between scenes which transitioned seamlessly, leaving me to regret that the technical aspects of the show were better rehearsed and more smooth running than the theatrical ones.

Scattered across the sketches was some brilliant costuming that strengthened some of the gags. Tellingly, the funniest moment of the show wasn’t a ranting monologue or an overlong conceit. Rather it was when an actor rather brilliantly dressed up as a particular citrus fruit, meticulously made from cardboard and some gleamingly green tights, fumbled nervously under a spotlight, and opined to the audience “...so we don’t really know why it’s called a limelight.” To my memory this was one of the few moments of genuine laughter across the crowd, and perfectly underscored that the group’s comedy was strongest when short, sweet and uncomplicated.

Unfortunately no amount of green cardboard, caveman clubs or occult robes can make up for weak writing. As Seen As Possible is an admirable but ultimately unsuccessful student comedy, which seemed to divert too much attention to aesthetics and throw away lines on serious social issues, relying on cliché and cringe instead of making jokes. Simply put: it wasn’t that funny. And that’s okay. What there was, though, were a smattering of genuine original ideas, a handful of standout performances, and an accomplished crew of light, tech and costume designers. A few more weeks workshopping and refining in the writing room, and bringing out polish and energy in rehearsal, and this budding bunch could produce something really brilliant. Sadly they just didn’t produce it this time.