Edinburgh Fringe Review: Beach Hunks — Hog Wild

Serena Bhandari
Aug 8, 2017 · 2 min read

I can safely say that when I entered the basement bar venue for the Beach Hunks’ Hog Wild show, I didn’t expect to witness a) a close friend of mine getting married, b) the future of mankind, or c) the origins of the infamous Spiderman theme song; it is also safe to say that said expectations were completely subverted.

The current lineup of Beach Hunks includes Dave Duncan and Jack Nicholls, ex-members of Lancaster University Comedy Institute. As seems to be becoming a trend in shows I’ve seen this Fringe, one member of the sketch troupe was missing. This was no obstacle for the remaining Hunks however, as they replaced absent comedian Michael with an incredibly talented mop. Cleaning apparatus puns ensued.

Two aspects of Hog Wild separated it from other similar shows; high levels of audience participation and a lot of well integrated music. A love song directed at a cactus was one such highlight of the show exemplifying this, and a mysterious visit from a future scientist eager to look down upon audience members another. To include so much music is to trust in the performers’ ability to consistently be funny without explicit jokes, and Beach Hunks do not disappoint with well-choreographed ‘dance’ segments (if they can be called that).

Characterisation was also very strong. Both performers brought a high-energy physicality to the show; all characters portrayed were compelling, if at times a bit unusual. One specific occurrence of this was Jack Nicholls’ impression of an American car saleswoman, which was highly reminiscent of a Nick Kroll character and had me in hysterics.

Beach Hunks really go the extra mile, boasting “the only show on the Fringe where they’ll make out with a monkey skeleton”. As one audience member so eloquently heckled, this is “a high concept show!” and definitely not one to be missed if you are a fan of wacky, surprisingly intelligent sketch comedy.

Star rating: ★★★★

Beach Hunks’ Hog Wild is on at 6.15pm at the Cellar Monkey (venue 293) from August 3rd-27th (not 20th).

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