Any performer who has ever felt the wrath of a critic’s tongue should have a large dose of Spymonkey prescribed.
Joyce McMillan of The Scotsman was disgusted by the Brighton-based group’s pomposity.
She despised the fact a bunch of old veterans could wring one gag so dry it almost needed rehydration tablets.
In response, they have taken a Greek classic by Sophocles filled with the most heinous crimes known to man – incest, paedophilia, murder – and made a show complete with the most unforgettable gags known to man.
The half-human half-cat that arrived on stage at one point was genius, and has been replaying in my head ever since. Incredible how something that wrong can be so right.
Oedipussy’s premise is that there is nothing as tragic as an ageing comic.
So the four middle-agers have written themselves into a story whose raison d’être is to bark at the idea that man is never beaten – no matter what ailments he carries.
They unpack careers now powered by ibuprofen, and using saucy slapstick and Greek mythology prove there is nothing so worthy as refusing to grow up.
50-year-old Stephan’s randy Oedipus and Toby Park’s soundtrack inspired by Bowie and Barry (It’s Almost Like I’ve Known You All My Life, Leprosy’s Not Funny) ride the line between decency and filth.
It will not be to everyone’s taste. But the few empty seats after the interval prove that if the whole world laughs then it’s probably not funny.
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