Note: This review is from the 2016 Fringe

The first thing you need to know about this show is that you get a free caramel wafer at the end. A free caramel wafer! A proper one as well, with a shiny wrapper and all. Yummy. Besides this, expect inventive, grotesque and downright bizarre sketches from the trio of comedy and caramel aficionados.

The sketches kick off at a lightning speed that persists throughout the entire performance. Rather than feeling rushed, the pace keeps both the audience and the performers energised. If one act doesn’t fetch many laughs, another is quick to follow.

The material ranges from a self consciously overweight whale, to Margaret Thatcher’s driving test, to a comedian shrunk in the wash. Highlights include the mortal dangers of a plastic bag and a fantastically morbid solution to the recycling crisis presented in a clever, chuckle-worthy song. The boys mainly rely on physical comedy, which works particularly well in a dorky topless dance off to telephone on-hold music – their lack of inhibition is truly impressive.

Two more sketches deserve a special mention purely for their absurdity. Donning masks of the popular TV shows Friends and The Simpsons, the players present their own macabre versions. In Friends, Chandler, Ross and Joey are eerily calm while Phoebe screams off stage. We see The Simpsons living a morbid life, terrified by the phenomenon of the well-known opening credits that appear in the sky unexplained. While certainly memorable, these sketches and more confusing than funny. However, if you enjoy the eerie style of Salad Fingers, they should suit you just fine.

The success of each sketch was varied, and A Taste of Planet Caramel will not draw the masses of crowd pleasers such as Shit-Faced Shakespeare and Late‘n’Live, but it’s a spot of individuality amongst the wash of awkward comedians and clever improv. What’s more, the energy and enjoyment of the performers is contagious: they clearly enjoy their sketches and this encourages the audience to do the same. Plus you get a free caramel wafer.