Racial Stereotypes And Creepy Characters From Daphne: Review

So, alternative sketch comedy, yeah? It's two or more grinning idiots making awkward, one-way small talk with the audience and then some clever-clever deconstructed jokes that are sometimes designed to get a laugh, but quite often designed to prompt beard-strokey appreciation, right? And it looks initially like Daphne are heading down that route until a handbrake turn about 15 minutes in takes everything so much darker.

Daphne — a trio consisting of Phil Wang, Jason Forbes and George Fouracres — have a talent range beyond your usual sketch troupe. There's the stand up who's not that confident with acting, but Forbes and Fouracres are also proper actors (with the latter having a fine pair of lungs) and this means they can creep us out as well as make us laugh. We have no idea what's going on in the Postman Pat sketch (has Greendale gone a bit Walking Dead?) but we shrieked with laughter on finding out what's happened to Jess...

Forbes's gangling versatility is put to further use in two of the highlights: Ainsley Harriott crossed with Hannibal Lecter and an astonishing (and hilarious) finale of physical comedy. We genuinely feared for his safety. Daphne also aren't afraid to play around with racial stereotypes given that — for once — this isn't comedy made by a bunch of white guys, which (for the mainly white audience) adds to that creeping sense of discomfort. In a good way. And in a funny way. Though you may walk out feeling slightly sensorily assaulted.

Daphne are at The Invisible Dot, 2 Northdown Street N1 9BG, until 12 December. Tickets £9-£12. Londonist saw this performance on a complimentary ticket.