WHO PLAYS WINS
Richard Stilgoe and Peter Skellern
Venue: Vaudeville 1985
Directed by: Mike Ockrent



Review

With the birth of alternative comedy is has become increasingly difficult to accept the kind of gentle satirical nonsense peddled by performers who owe more to the style of yesterday than the subject matter of today. And it's a feeling which prevails throughout this new show which features Peter Skellern and Richard Stilgoe.  Although the couple do obviously have an audience it is difficult to see how their kind of performance can attract enough people to sustain even a six week season. Stilgoe undoubtedly has a talent for poking fun at a wide range of subjects, but he carefully avoids pushing so far it might offend these subjects.  In replacing the word ‘dares’ in the SAS motto Who Dares Wins they inadvertently sum up just what is missing from the show. As a satirical exercise the show really lacks bite, even references to everything from the sinking of the Greenpeace ship to religion are just too gentle.

Throughout the performance the audience is conscious of the duo's eagerness to please, and rather like enthusiastic schoolboys they occasionally cross the borders of good taste notably with the very unfunny number about AIDS haemophiliacs. The moments of real humour are of the kind of the quality that raises a smile rather than a bellylaugh. As a show it really lends itself more to the intimate surroundings of a supper club than the vast emptiness of a theatre. As a performance it would have more impact as part of a major show featuring a variety of other acts who could add a much needed a spark of excitement and unpredictability.