Peeling PVA in Happier Mache

What makes a sketch group really great is the sense that they’re all on the same page, each of them holding up their end, and that they’re completely in tune with one another. With Peeling PVA, this is not quite the sense you get.

Some quick-fire character and emotion sketches kick the show off nicely, getting some all-important early laughs. But even at this point it is clear that two of the group’s members – Liam McDonnell and Stuart Young – are stronger than the others. Some sketches are let down by poor acting skills and what comes across as lack of commitment. Although the writing is solid and the jokes are often good, it is hard to lose yourself in a sketch when you simply don’t believe the performer.

Peeling PVA’s weakness is not in the sketches, but in the execution. The whole thing needs to be tightened and refined, and those little finishing touches sought out.

This show is really good fun, but too often their strengths highlight their weaknesses.