Brazen Hodgepodge: Review 2.0

If you asked me what one thing I could never get sick of, I would say live comedy.

Last night, I had the pleasure of watching my second Brazen Hodgepodge show at The Old Court in Windsor. For those who don’t know, Brazen Hodgepodge is a live comedy sketch show starring: Martha Cranston, Sam Gibbons, Sebastian Senior and Michael Workman.

The show consists of 90 minutes of pure, unadulterated comedy, ranging from slapstick to satire. It is comprised of more than fifty original sketches and auditory transitions, featuring strong language and references to sex and drugs.

It’s probably not the best show for the younger kids, but truthfully, they’re absorbing way worse content from TikTok, so you might as well bring them along to support local independent theatre and grease up their critical thinking skills so they discover new formats of art and entertainment. There’s something for everyone.

In February 2024, I wrote my first review for Brazen Hodgepodge, citing them as “refreshing, absurdist social commentary”. Unfortunately, the review went missing after a change in website domain; some mysteries never get solved. Thankfully, Sam was kind enough to offer another viewing, which has afforded great insight into how much the show has improved. Within just a year, Brazen Hodgepodge has refined its crowd-pleaser jokes to West-End levels of execution.

Comedy is hard. Some jokes landed, some were a little too long and repetitive, and some were completely lost on the opening night audience, such as a less-than-polished impersonation of Elon Musk (who is too evil and too boring to laugh at). But overall, the crowd were in a fit of hysterics for the majority of the night, and if we didn’t laugh the first time, the actors knew they had to try harder to earn it.

The cast has brilliant chemistry; you can tell they want you to enjoy watching as much as they enjoy performing. I think they all have future BAFTA winner energy. I can confidently say they get better with every watch. Each sketch is stacked with jokes that will scratch whatever comedy itch you have.

Sam Gibbons possesses the musical talent and dry wit of comedians like James Acaster and Bo Burnham – his charisma seeps through every character and caricature he plays, even his (scarily accurate) impression of Donald Trump. Sam commits wholeheartedly to every bit, no matter how absurd, he dives straight in and never checks out early. I praise his ability to recover from prop mishaps and character breaks in a way that seems intentional to the performance.

This was my first time watching Sebastian Senior, but I hope to see way more of him. He is credited for my favourite sketches, and has excellent comedic timing when it comes to more physically demanding roles. He plays a posh twat far too well, and I would love to see him experiment with more eccentric, egotistical personas.

Michael Workman is always a delight to watch! He adds great strength to the musical comedy elements and can orchestrate the biggest belly laughs from the subtle facial movements and cadence: his impression of a mumbling, Keir Starmer is one of the best I’ve seen, and I desperately want to see it again.

I have to dedicate a special shout-out to the only woman in the show – Martha Cranston. Martha has the voice of an angel and the charm of the devil. Her performances are magnetic and accustomed to big, belly laughs, especially when she reprises a self-referential role like Mum with tea. My only critique is that she is pigeonholed into stereotypical female roles of doting mother or repulsed girlfriend. I would love to see Martha explore a more conniving, neurotic character in the same vein as Dee Reynolds from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia or Hannah from the BBC Three sitcom, Siblings.

To conclude, I believe Brazen Hodgepodge are stars in the making. The show is hilariously good fun. You will walk away amazed by the variety of creativity. I’d recommend it to adults who are fans of musical parody and British political satire. You can expect to hear jokes about the government, the monarchy, landlords, feminists, leftists, far right – no one is safe from having the piss taken out of them, and rightfully so.

Highlights:

• Favourite sketch: Peer pressure drinking
• Favourite audio transition: King Charles eating Coronation Chicken
• Most original sketch: 1930s comment section
• Most improved sketch: Rekindling with your iPod Nano
• Sketch that could use tweaking: Man goes Shopping

Brazen Hodgepodge runs at The Old Court, Windsor from May 29th to May 31st 2025. 

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review by Isabel Harper, comedy screenwriter, available on isabelharper.com.