Crybabies: The Scaring @ Soho Theatre

Anyone familiar with the comedy scene is familiar with Crybabies, and there was a lot of anticipation for their third show The Scaring, only increased by their Edinburgh Fringe run being one of the hottest tickets at the festival. After seeing it at Soho Theatre, it is easy to see why.

Crybabies is a three-hander sketch group made up of Michael Clark, James Gault, and Ed Jones, who move through punchlines, characters, and callbacks like they were genetically grown in a lab for that singular purpose alone. Their chemistry creates a beautiful baseline for their writing to build from until they have a show that is some of the best comedic writing on the scene at the moment. This show has a joke economy that’s through the roof, the trio not leaving any phrase unturned as they twist meanings and homophones to their will in order to provide laugh after laugh. Even when you could see a punchline coming, the group stick the landing so well you’re just happy to have been in on the joke.

The fantastic writing is complemented by the excellent stage craft throughout which bring the horror elements into this horror comedy. The Scaring has a higher production value than what typically appears in a sketch show: a complicated and vast set, a projectionist, in depth sound design, which initially made me nervous that the group would be overshadowed – possibly literally – by the design of the show, especially with a cast of three. However, as soon as we were (very suddenly!) thrust into the show’s world it became clear that it would not be the trio’s task to reach the high heights of the stage design but instead that this stage design had been made to fit their talents. 

The special effects are also fantastic throughout, managing to find a brilliant balance between genuine scares and comedic moments or sight gags to bring the audience back to the fact this is first and foremost, a hilarious show. For example, a jump scare to reveal a creepy woman in a rocking chair seemingly appearing out of nowhere is undermined by the silly realisation that the creepy woman is in fact a very lanky Gault, hilariously struggling to hide his body whilst operating the puppet. Each moment is an opportunity to play to each member’s strengths (or weaknesses) and get something comedic out of it. 

Though, if taken in component parts, neither the horror effects or comedic stylings are particularly boundary pushing, the group’s combination of the well-trodden classics of both genres into something interesting and new (Hormedy? Comor?) demands attention. In a world where it is so hard to find something different, it is satisfying to find a show that feels expertly done, where each line, design choice, and tiny detail feels like it was given the same level of care. After all, who cares if a style is well-trodden when it is trodden so well? 

If some elements feel familiar, what is refreshing is the group’s use of effective narrative, connecting each sketch together seemingly effortlessly, where others often struggle. In places, the show feels almost more similar to a comedy play than sketch. Perhaps it would be easier to categorise it as such if it wasn’t for the first 15 minutes, where the group has a selection of what feels like were initially individual sketches, now moulded to flow into each other. This section could run the risk of feeling bolted on, if it were not for details to reappear later in the piece. Is there anything more satisfying than a throwaway piece of exposition becoming the key to unlocking the whole plotline? The Scaring is for newbies and comedy nerds alike, whether you are blown away by the unexpected or satisfied by the skill behind it. It is easy to tell Clarke, Gault, and Jones are well-versed and skilled writers who let the audience relax knowing that they will be comfortably held within the excellent writing – until the group launches into another scare that is!

Crybabies: The Scaring is at the Soho Theatre (Deanstreet) until 23rd September. Get your tickets here

Photo by Mihaela Bodlovic