Cowboys with sparkly hats and door-busting cops may be the easiest way to describe Disco Horses’ latest venture, with the remainder of the one-hour sketch revue being a breakneck mashup of chaos, improvisation and slapstick that is sure to get anyone who appreciates rude and silly humour laughing hysterically. Joe Harrington and Eric Greenbaum’s chaotic yet hilarious sketch compilation is nothing short of a farcical joy, challenging the very meaning of rude comedy and pushing it just that one step further, with a delicious side serving of floor-humping, grown baby kissing, and a certain (not insignificant) amount of homoerotic tension that leaves you wondering when, not if.
Both Harrington and Greenbaum give riotous performances as their wide cadre of characters, and whether it’s word association or knife-duelling cowboys, their interactions with each other and their audience give best friends who are set to be more, with all of us invited to observe for their own warped benefit. Transcending time and space to be cops one second and cavemen the next (with Greenbaum’s understanding, or lack thereof, of cavemen’s antics tipping me over the edge), each sketch is a whistle-stop tour into the unusual and occasionally deranged psyches of these comics who leave very little to the imagination.
Whilst some sketches don’t land and others go on a little longer than necessary, the miasma of chaos and tears in your eyes, as well as the break-neck pace of the performance, rips you away from your reservations faster than even their quick-changes can manage, forcing you to laugh at the smallest of details (I’ve never heard someone say ‘man’ as many times as Greenbaum, we must be looking at over one hundred!).
The American Dream is well and truly alive in Disco Horses: A Sketch Revue, a stereotypical love letter to the raucous antics of the American male. This deeply funny show has absurdism written all over it and exposes my own childish humour in the best way possible. As first ever Edinburgh Fringe shows go, this is a great way to begin your trip and end your day!
Rating: ★★★★☆
Disco Horses: A Sketch Revue is playing at theSpace on the Mile until August 24th
