BriTANicK are the very silly comedy duo Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney, who have written for shows like It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Saturday Night Live. Like seemingly every American comedy troupe, they also worship at the altar of Monty Python, and their sketches appropriately hit the same beats of meta-textuality, fourth-wall breaking fun and mild anarchy. 

^{Pictures: Sela Shiloni}

Perhaps because of their telly writing roots, many of these comedy set-ups feel as safe and cosy as an X-rated episode of Dad’s Army, the slickness of their presentation diminishing the chaos they aim to create. As happens so easily in a show like this, meta jokes, abrupt endings and call-backs also feel like crutches for sketches that are otherwise aimless or rambling. 

But when Kocher and McElhaney find the balance between tight construction and loose delivery, the chemistry of their comedy partnership shines, and plenty of their writing has confidence and flair. The real chaos lies in the main storyline which loosely connects these skits, as the duo’s personal lives begin to intrude on every punchline to reach a genuinely hilarious, no-holds barred finale. Like many telly writers of their era, then, they’ve cracked the series arc but need to tweak the lead-up.

Reviewed at Assembly George Square as part of Edinburgh Fringe.