The world of children’s entertainers has been a fruitful source of inspiration for comedians in recent years. Character actor Justin Edwards created perpetually sozzled party clown Jeremy Lion and Funz And Gamez won an Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel Prize in 2014 for its mix of treats for kiddies accidentally in the crowd and asides about existential angst for the adults.
Now here comes posh Sylvester ‘Silly’ String pairing with SPITTA, the Stormzy of the balloon animal set, for Anastasia’s sixth birthday in Chelsea. It is an inspired show that functions on multiple levels. A simple send-up of ice cream and jelly japes for grown-ups but also a subtle rumination on double act dynamics.
Kiell Smith-Bynoe, best known as non-dead Mike in sitcom Ghosts, plays SPITTA, who has built his following via TikTok, while Ed MacArthur plays upper crust jester Sylvester. As they trade barbs in rap battles or simply bitch at each other, punchlines fly thick and fast. The one thing they have in common is that they both grew up on estates, although you could only see deer roaming from Sylvester’s boudoir.
This is an energetic immersive work that quickly draws in the audience. One fan becomes Anastasia, everybody else becomes a party guest. A positive vibe permits the protagonists to indulge in painful dad gags. If you can get a laugh out of “what’s brown and sticky? a stick” you can get a laugh out of anything. You’d have to have a heart of pure granite not to join in when they ask everyone to do the “big fish, little fish” dance, thankfully seated.
Occasionally there is a splash of satire. When String is asked to improvise he replies: “last time somebody in my family improvised it triggered a recession.” Will they be reconciled or go their separate ways, forever fighting over West London’s rich pickings? You’ll have to buy a ticket to find out. Or maybe not, as there is talk of a TV pilot in the pipeline.
After the finale last night Smith-Bynoe and MacArthur paid tribute to director/producer Adam Brace, who died suddenly earlier this year aged 43. An award is planned in Brace’s name to support emerging creatives. In the meantime his influence lives on in this immensely enjoyable piece that, to borrow from a musical highlight, is “heads, shoulders, knees and toes above the rest.”
Soho Theatre, to August 10; at Edinburgh Fringe, Pleasance, Aug 18-28
