So On and So Forth: Human Era

Three young men clad in tweed, dinner jackets, and braces, take to the stage and begin talking about a legal battle over the estate of their ex-fourth member. In that instant, you realise this is not to be your average sketch show.

Human Era is incredibly well put together. The writing is witty, the acting is good; it is a well crafted piece of comedy theatre. But there is the niggling feeling that something is missing.

We see a large variety of characters, from the weedy boxer to the accidental movie plagiariser, but only one sketch – about blundering NASA scientists – merits a repeat. Despite the wealth of ideas, none of the characters really stand out or are memorable. The performers all stick to understated, calm, collected acting, and it never really feels as though they let themselves go. It feels as though they’re holding back, which makes it hard to get as into it as you might like.

Their short, sharp sketches were the jewels in the crown, and more of these one-liner bits would go down a storm. Wit, rather than enduring character sketch, is their strength, and what a strength it is. They are clearly talented, but their focus seems a little soft as yet.