Words: Alex Grunberg

4 Stars

A fun hour of sketch comedy sees the comfortable duo of Low Effort Sketches
finding unexpected conflict in front of/behind the scenes of their Fringe show. Will they be
able to reconcile their differences? Will the sketches survive the spat?

The team of Low Effort Sketches happily leans into the silly and awkward, using their
quirky personas to mine unexpected punchlines. Surreal acts, some extended through over-
arcing stories and some appearing only in short bursts, are performed with sharp transitions
from shot to shot, like a film reel mixed together from a cutting room floor. When paired with
the metafictional framework of this particular Fringe performance, the duo have given the
routine a feeling akin to wandering through a dream. A dream that makes sense when you’re
having it, even if it’s impossible to describe the actual plot after the fact. You don’t quite
remember where you’ve come from, but the comedians are confident in the journey they have
planned for you.

Favourite moments for me included a reoccurring joke about famous name reveals
(kind of) and a football joke with an unexpected star player (because morbid punchlines are
fun, too).

The vibe is light, the crowd was on board to play along, and the duo commits to their
bits 100% – even when it causes fictional friction. A silly comedy hour performed by two
endearing comedians.

LOW EFFORT SKETCHES: AS DESCRIBED
JUST THE TONIC AT THE CAVES – JUST OUT OF THE BOX
17:20
Aug 23-25