House of Windsor in 'The Meeting'

House of Windsor in 'The Meeting'

28 July, 2008
by: Emma

It must be difficult coming up with an original and fresh show for the Fringe. The old 'here is a list of people and things that annoy me from pensioners to Pringle jumpers' has certainly been done before, the 'I've been to the depths of hell through drink/drugs/depression and I'm going to talk about it' is usually on offer and the taboo busting 'Fuck off I'm going to joke about dead babies, the handicapped and the most intimate sexual experience if I want to' routine is still a winner. There have been PowerPoint presentations, 24 hour shows, naked people dressed as pigs dancing to a beatboxer/comedian and last year Tom Bell interviewed videotapes of himself aged seven to identify how he became a stand-up before handing out crumpets.

The Meeting, written by and starring sketch group House of Windsor, is another innovative show set in an actual boardroom. You are ushered in, offered a seat at the table and proceed to go through the motions of a corporate meeting, conducted by Simon Bird, Joe Thomas (The Inbetweeners) and Jonny Sweet. This starts off normally enough - two cards are handed around for people to sign, one is a birthday and one a condolence: "Best not get those mixed up", says Bird who plays Trevor, the MD running the meeting. It soon unravels as certain employees appear to be either mentally unhinged or mentally challenged.

There is an awkward conference call, a slideshow of a team fun run, handouts, walkouts and discussions - Michael has a query as to who has stolen his mug ("I did bring it from home") and there are some very dubious suggestions about ways of improving the company's income. I'm loathe to compare it to The Office as it's a unique production but it is similar in the way that the characters, who have their own funny mannerisms and ticks, are so realistic and familiar – there's the bumbling oaf, the slightly mental IT guy, and the calm and professional MD trying to hold it all together. The acting is excellent and while the show isn't gag-based, side-splitting comedy it's consistently funny the whole way through. Undoubtedly this is going to be one of the best shows at the Fringe – it takes a popular theme of subtle situation comedy and manages to involve the audience in the situation as well. All in their early twenties, this is a very impressive second show for House of Windsor.

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Emma