When I signed on to review this production, I was hoping to move away from the “swinging colostomy bag” critique of last year’s review of the Footlights Spring Revue into brighter, more positive territory. I don’t think I can quite say the same for the Footlights.

This year’s production, Chaos Theory, fell prey to a lack of strong directorial intervention from James Allen; a shame, as he is a talented comedian in his own right. Many of the sketches lost direction or ran out of steam, with a particularly good one about a midwife who has selective blindness for babies (this bit works – I promise) devolving into random quips about Keir Starmer that failed to land. Others were simply too long and lost the audience’s attention rapidly – the first sketch being a significant offender, as it quickly went from funny and interesting to confusing and overdone, overstaying its welcome.

“[Some sketches] were simply too long and lost the audience's attention rapidly”

What really lost me were the various sketches and ‘ads’ (like the fourth wall sketch, or the multi-purpose slime ad that broke up the second half) which swiftly crossed from funny to straight-up Lovecraftian horror, and morphed beyond what was plausibly entertaining into something actually quite concerning. It’s hard to explain this further in the review without giving the twists away, but perhaps for some of you the suspense will provide a good reason to go.

There were some notably strong performances. If I had to bet money on who will go on to have a particularly illustrious career, I'd opt for George Dickenson. He was dynamic and carried every scene he was in, embracing the cornier aspects of the show so well as to make them hilarious. But that’s not to disparage Margaret Saunderson – her ode to posh girls was by far one of my favourite sketches.

“For every good performance, though, there was a subpar one”

Similarly, Miles Hitchens and Dom Andrew were consistently entertaining, particularly Andrew’s performance in the final sketch, largely because it flipped the absurdist element from confusing to interesting. Isaac Tompkinson and Thomas Sweeney also were fun to watch, albeit their performances were more variable, with the latter’s skill being stronger in the creation of sketches than his actual performance of them. By the end of the show, he felt incredibly derivative, bringing the same character to each scene, which detracted not just from his performance but also the energy on stage.

For every good performance, though, there was a subpar one. Jenny Cyffin-Jones was so overly physical in her mannerisms as to lose me entirely, overdoing it every time she was on stage. There was a similar problem with Helen Brookes’s acting, but she was able to show enough restraint that it wasn’t quite as distracting. Reese Patel was really quite uncharismatic and monotone, and lost my attention whenever he appeared. But these three were always in group sketches, and scene partners Vivian Wang and Grace Wakeman were consistently able to make up for their flatter or more painfully exaggerated performances.

“I have to mention the multiple tech failures, particularly the projection and incorrect lighting cues”

Wang’s sketch on Chinese comedy worked well, offering a nice break from the Western comedic structure of the rest of the show by choosing a traditional Chinese format instead. Her performance as the Woke Mobfather, or Don Pronounioni, also deserves praise. Wakeman brought a lot to every scene she was in, doing much to lighten the tone, and her character work was particularly convincing.

As a fair reviewer, I have to mention the multiple tech failures, particularly the projection and incorrect lighting cues, but I will stress that this was the opening night and they will hopefully be sorted in time for later performances. When it worked – the LED sign, the multiple projections, the elaborate lighting – it worked well, and I’m sure that everything will be just as good on later nights. The costuming was simple, with everyone wearing a plain grey tee and black cargoes. Fitting for the versatile nature of sketch, but I will admit it made my job harder.

Would I encourage you to see Chaos Theory? Given the Footlights’ reputation, it’s out of my hands. You either think they’re annoying puppet lovers (has no one else noticed the frequency of puppets in their shows, or is it just me?) or you are desperate to tell future grandkids that you saw the next award-winning comedian when they were still an ‘unknown’. I’d say that if you like their other stuff, and are willing to give up two hours of your life, then go for it. But don’t let this be your first brush with them – the good sketches and talented performers get swallowed up in the bloated runtime. Go to a smoker with a good line-up instead.

‘Footlights Spring Revue 2025: Chaos Theory’ is showing at the ADC Theatre from Tuesday 25 February until Saturday 1 March at 7:30pm, with a Saturday matinee at 2:30pm.

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