Creators: Liam Brennan and Tom Jacob-Ewles
Tom and Liam are two fablers (improv comedians) hoping to take medieval Hollywood (not the American one, that doesn’t exist) by storm. Part improv, part sketch, part something else entirely The Two Horsemen is an anachronistic hybrid comedy.
The Two Horsemen opens with Liam Brennan as cheeky chappy Bubonic Bobby, the plagued host of a behind-the-scenes talk show following the lives of two small-time medieval improv comedians. Brennan is best when playing a non-improvised character and really brings the energy and tone of a feudalist Hollywood late-night show. It’s an exciting conceit and Brennan commands the stage, unfortunately, it mainly falls flat from there. The problem with having an interesting conceit is that, for it to work, you have to follow through. The show raises more questions than it is able to provide answers to. It’s distracting at best, disheartening at worst.
Tom Jacob-Ewles further proves that the two men are much stronger actors than they are improv comedians as a cigar-puffing-Italian-American-Weinstein-esque Sophocles Jr. It’s a funny character played well, but it undercuts the underlying structure of the show: why is a Greek playwright showing up in Hollywood 1,500 years after his death? We never find out. And the overarching framework, so far, is what sets this show apart. When it’s lost, we really feel it.
Running at only 45 minutes, The Two Horsemen does well to fit a relatively sound narrative in between more traditional improvised scenes, but now it’s the plot that’s at odds with the framework. Surely, the two performers must be successful enough to have a whole TV show dedicated to their exploits? But when Liam is offered an acting gig by Sophocles Junior the choice is between stardom and obscurity. Why are the friends and performers not just happy for each other’s successes if they are so established in their craft already?
The improv itself is solid but uninspired, the performers struggle to track which of the two accents they can do, and most scenes go on one punchline too long, but it’s good ye olde fashioned fun and laughs are certainly had. With some more rehearsal and some careful combing through the idea, this show could be a really incredible way to see comedy, but for now, it is a little thrown together and underbaked.
Runs until 23 August 2023
Camden Fringe runs until 27 August 2023
The Reviews Hub Score
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