Overview
As soon as I entered the Herald Theatre, I got the sense this show would walk all over boundaries of taste and decency. Two members of Idiots of Ants (aka Idiots Savants) were already on stage; one dressed as a Nazi, the other a British soldier, the pair silently rocking in their chairs as they stared into space. As the audience hushed, two more military men appeared. You could have been forgiven for thinking something more sinister was about to occur but within minutes they were in strip tease mode, revealing comedians in a white shirt and black tie combo.
These four young Brits have made a name for themselves with their modern day Monty Python style sketch comedy. With lightning-fast wardrobe changes, they create a multitude of characters and scenarios while references to Auckland landmarks fix the show firmly in a time and place. Sketch topics range from cringeworthy 'Dad jokes' to toilet humour, online gaming, a hen's party gone very wrong, an angry honey bee and a swingers' party featuring hand puppet wives. There is a theme that vaguely connects the various parts of the performance - but it might not be what you expect.
The sketches are quick-witted and clever. Unfortunately though, the visual projection and music that support the show and help transition from one scenario to another was being a bit temperamental on opening night. At one point, the four of them stared up at a blank screen just long enough for the audience to realise there had been yet another glitch. No matter, it was great seeing how relaxed these pros were, running backstage to manually make changes and rolling their eyes as they yelled out "ta daa!" when they finally got it to work.
The Ants' interaction with the audience was also highly entertaining to watch and a couple in the front row copped rather a lot of flak. At one point an imaginary gaming console was thrust into audience member Flynn's hand with rather unexpected results and soon after the quartet were serenading his girlfriend, much to her amusement / embarrassment.
The group ad-libbed a surprising amount for such a tightly-scripted show and their performance was all the more interesting for it. At one point during a fart sketch, James Wrighton pretty much lost it and was called a "giggly fuck" by Elliot Tiney. James then turned to the audience and once he got his breath back, offered us the explanation that James "really did fart". Sure it's juvenile but I love the fact these guys don't take themselves too seriously. If you want to see something other than musical acts or stand up this festival, check these guys out; they're slick, fun and just the right amount of loose.