Festivals are magnets for serious theatre. Even when mirth fills the stage there is usually some weightier matter winding through the subtext. Not so with ‘The Steaming Coasters’. They brought a slick little sketch show that from first to last defied the call for seriousness. The word play on the title of a famous Jane Austin novel set the tone for a series of slickly presented quick-fire sketches each finding a nugget of humour in common every day experience. A few sticks of furniture and the odd prop on an otherwise bare stage was sufficient for the cast to present a wide range of characters and caricatures in all sorts of settings and situations. Odd bits of costume suggested character but mostly the actors worked unaided. The enthusiasm and obvious joy radiating from the stage spilled over into the audience who, like me, welcomed ‘The Steaming Coasters’ interlude of good-natured silliness in a sea of serious intent.
Peter Jay Moore
Fringe TheatreFest views 