Goose @ Assembly, George Square

The sketch duo Goose lay another golden egg with Hydroberserker

A sketch group named after your favourite animal and last sexual partner? Check. A member of another award-winning sketch group? Check. A very, very sweaty man? Check. All three, and you’ve got Goose’s Hydroberserker; a frenetic, ambitious spectacle that tells the well-worn 'boy meets girl' story in an incredibly captivating way.

Actor-Goose Adam Drake, and writer-Goose Ben Rowse, juggernaut through a tale of lost love with a clever combination of quick-fire sketches and perfectly pitched meet-cutes underscored by a brilliant backing band. There’s also some nifty bits of tech (showing us the latecomers, live-editing the script) as well as relatively low-key audience interaction, which even the most nervous could take part in (albeit minus the interviews in the venue’s gardens).

At times, the gags may be a little too quick for the audience, landing long after Drake pirouettes into the next section. Likewise, the pace can strangely lose us, no matter how fast the show drifts off: the section on everyday sexism seems incongruous and the EastEnders-style sketch has little relevance (although it does come back to bite us).

However, Hydroberserker is a show of excellent character development, clever callbacks and attention to detail neatly wrap up the superb performance.

---

Goose: Hydroberserker, Assembly George Square Gardens (Piccolo), 4-28 Aug, 4:30 pm, £6-12.