Children of the Quorn™

A silly and surreal hour from promising sketch duo
Megan From HR are London-based comedy duo Ambika Mod and Andrew Shires, formerly stars of the Durham Revue when they won the Derek Award for Best Sketch Show at the Fringe. Their first full-length affair as a pairing is a surreal and absurd hour of sketch comedy, featuring a séance, slapstick moments, high energy and plenty of put-downs, both of the audience and of themselves.
Children of the Quorn starts at the end, as the pair open by tidying the stage and discussing what a great show they've had, making reference to the aforementioned spooky ritual and their successful raising of the dead. As they rewind to the beginning in order to explain the blood-stained clothing, devil horns and bits of paper strewn across the stage, we're taken through a series of bizarre and nonsensical sketches, most of which don't actually connect in any way to the séance but are made all the more comical by their randomness.
While the point of Children of the Quorn is undoubtedly to be as silly as possible, it would have been more effective to have some gags that link directly to the séance itself, as opposed to fleeting mentions, to give more impact to the final twist. That climax is a clever addition overall but had a few of the sketches been a bit tighter, the duo could have had even more fun messing with their crowd.
Nevertheless, their recurring jokes (including those about the audience misunderstanding historical events, and unnecessary explanations at the end of sketches) keep Children of the Quorn moving along at a madcap but humorous pace. Thanks to their general rapport and ability to bounce off one another, Megan From HR offer a show that will not change your life but may just take you out of this world for a bit.
Just the Tonic at La Belle Angele, until 25 Aug (not 12), 3.30pm, £5 in advance or donations at the venue.