Goodbear

A double act who toy with time and play on their physicality
Goodbear's sketches ebb and flow to the rhythm of a clock illuminated at the back of the stage. As the clock ticks through the hours, so too do the sketch duo: they take us from a couple asleep in bed at midnight, through breakfast meetings, lunch routines, into the evening, and back round to midnight again, smoothly transitioning on the half hour or hour.
The pair excel at physical comedy; perhaps it's their height difference, perhaps it's in their genes, but the skits that rely on sound effects and body manipulation are incredible. A late-night jazz bar comes to life on stage, and a pair of Python-esque cyclists race to the top of an unseen mountain. When they're playing it fairly straight, they break in and out of each other's internal dialogues, toying with the nightmarish reality of being single after a divorce or showcasing the tedium of a fishing trip.
The nature of time is explored and twisted, with the ultimate question inspired by the lifespan of a mayfly: should we worry about the futility of what we do with our time, or is just being alive enough?
Bedlam Theatre, until 28 Aug (not 17), 9.30pm, £10 (£8).