That’s Just 5 Kids in a Trench Coat

dame judy dench

Dame Judy Dench’s Sketch Comedy Revue That’s Just 5 Kids in a Trench Coat, which plays at the Toronto Fringe Festival through July 12th, 2015, is a very entertaining assortment of sketches that offers up a wry social commentary.

Jessica Greco, Claire Farmer, Chris Leveille, Shannon Lahaie and Gavin Pounds have written an array of well-constructed, insightful, creative and very silly sketches that are performed with great energy, commitment to character and great physical comedy and specificity. Many of the sketches highlight some commonplace absurdities that we face as young people in the contemporary world, such as interactions between moms on the playground regarding gender fluid, vegan, gluten free, unvaccinated toddlers, the posthumous career choice, the labels on relationships that get murky as friends with benefits enter into bisexual open relationships with people they are “seeing” or “dating” or are married to and reflections on what it says about a person’s mental state when they insist on sabotaging a television news correspondent’s live update. Other sketches are even more Existential, such as cannibal pizza, the kid and the balloon dad (which is surprisingly heartbreaking), Police Mime, and how to break up with a magician, which is utterly ridiculous and tons of fun.

There are a few sketches that would benefit from being tightened up or clarified a little to keep the pacing and the energy surging forward, but in all, Dame Judy Dench has a solid show on its hands that keeps the audience laughing and entirely engaged.

TWISI FRINGE RATING:

Dame Judy Dench’s That’s Just 5 Kids in a Trench Coat plays at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse (79 St. George Street) at the following times: