It’s been over 60 years since The Goon Show first broadcast on BBC radio, and the saying “They don’t write them like that anymore” rings very true in this case. It is interesting to take a look back at a piece like this to see how comedy has moved on and evolved since.

The Goon Show’s revival is part of the Birmingham Comedy Festival and it still packs in the laughs largely due to its clever and original script. The Old Joint Stock is the ideal venue for this production; its small space achieves an intimate studio like feel that suits the performance to a tee.

The ludicrous plots, puns and surreal humour of Spike Milligan are made to sound fresh and like they have come from another world. The comedy is still funny whilst at times sounding somewhat pastiche: the satirical take on life in Britain at the time is however often rendered a little outdated. However, it is a piece of our comedy history that shaped modern satire and should not be forgotten. This production feels like a celebration of that very notion.

The cast perform gallantly with a script that is not easy to pull off; the writing is so quick that it takes real precision to do it justice. There are some wonderful moments with an array of characters and voices to showcase the performer’s talents: but despite being able to view the performers live the show still lacks some pace and the musical interludes, unfortunately, are a little too welcome when they come about.

The live jazz quartet is the real joy of the evening, entertaining before and during the readings of the radio plays. Each of them is a talented musician in their own right and they combine brilliantly with alto saxophone soaring through the melodies with apparent ease. They set the mood excellently and would be well worth a whole evening of their own.

All in all an interesting evening’s entertainment and something you are not likely to see the likes of very often. But the lack of any real drama does get a little dull after a while.  ★★★☆☆    Sam Chipman           04/10/14