A FEW minutes into his Flying Visit, John Finnemore notes that York’s obsession with ghosts, trains, Vikings and chocolate give our city the personality of an eight-year-old child. Encouragingly, there are eight-year olds here tonight; this is evidently a show for all ages.
Joined by the four supporting cast members from his BBC Radio 4 show John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme, the show features few costumes or props, relying instead on the performers and Finnemore’s excellent material.
Each sketch takes minutes, so it’s fast-paced, funny and mixes clever ideas with plain silly ones. The first, about Pavlov’s research into conditioned reflexes of dogs, requires specific audience participation, and sets the tone for the evening. Highlights include Winnie the Pooh's addiction to honey; the goldfish asking Neptune for better memory; and “Kirates” featuring the skulls of Pirates who can’t say certain letters (like “p”).
It’s delivered in a warm and relaxed style, like an evening out with funny friends rather than being in a grand opera house. These friends, however, have thoughtfully structured the themes, callbacks to previous sketches, and the audience participation.
Fans of radio sitcom Cabin Pressure enjoy the interview with Finnemore’s character, Arthur, and there’s a lively song about the behaviour of men wearing red trousers.
To finish we sing a song about York, featuring other great things about York, like how silly a name Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate is, and a buzzing audience leave quoting Arthur’s main interview answer “that was brilliant”.
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