Brighton Fringe 2008
Low Down
Japanese comedy sensation GAMARJOBAT with their unique tale of love and revenge in the Wild West. Catch the duo before they hit TV and Broadway in
2009.
"Utterly mesmerising" Telegraph
Review
The Fringe’s favourite Japanese punk mimes (okay, so competition’s not exactly fierce!) are back in town with their new show The Western, the second half of the performance comprising of their interpretation of the classic genre.
The pair are clearly master showmen and can work an audience like no other. The first half of the show flew by as the audience were treated to a whirlwind of slapstick, sight gags and optical illusions. The strongest moments came when they picked on children in the audience as they seemed to be completely on each other’s wavelengths. This is comedy with universal appeal and no hint of blandness.
The Gamarjobat boys should be applauded for trying something different with The Western. However, when the first half of the show had such a winning formula it was risky to deviate from it and the second half showed some evidence of this. Being the first time that this section of the show had been performed outside of Japan and there were forgivable moments of technical scrappiness. The main issue was that the story dragged a little, there was a lot of repetition of the same jokes and while this was often used to establish character it didn’t make for consistently entertaining viewing. As a story it was also perhaps a little convoluted for the family audience at which it was aimed. These factors combined to produce a marked drift in attention and a slightly muted response from the audience.
So there were mixed blessings with Gamarjobat’s return to the Komedia. The pair are such consummate performers it is inevitably disappointing when the material doesn’t quite match their skills.
