The comedy duo of Stokes and Summers provide a painfully relatable detailing of office life with their new show, “Careering”. This comedy sketch show takes place in a multi-business office building, each floor with a new business, and a new unhinged member of the retail park to interact with. It features many interesting, cringe-worthy and socially unbearable characters, and they’re not afraid to talk to you either, or dance at you.
The pair analyse the comical absurdity of inter-office politics, colleagues who overshare and the feeling of treading water in your career. Those who deal with high-school level drama and fallout in their work life will appreciate an outlet to laugh at the pain of dealing with these interactions 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, forever and ever.
“Careering” blends awkward humour shared between co-workers and outlandish silliness, and fans of sketch comedy will surely enjoy this work from Stokes and Summers.
A good sketch show requires good characters, and there are many that feature in this show, all played by Stokes and Summers. It can be a challenge to cover so many different personalities in such a short space of time, and even though some characters are more enjoyable to watch than others, the two make each character feel different, and the chemistry between them as a comedy duo is certainly apparent. The jokes and one-liners are important, but the level of acting needs to match it, and you will feel yourself believing in each performance. The show is provided in multiple formats, which helps to keep it fresh and interesting, with good comical timing.
What keeps the show from being perfect is the odd character letting the side down. Some of the jokes struggle to land, and audience members can feel the force of that especially well in a small venue space. However, it is still a very enjoyable and one that is certainly worth seeing.
Stokes and Summers, Gilded Balloon Teviot, August 4-14, 16-29
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/stokes-and-summers-careering
