1000 Tiny Birds

Tarot - Work In Progress (preview)

ARGCOMFEST, 2023-07-01

From a sketch performer going solo, we move onto sketch performers not going solo. Tarot have long been on my radar, but I’ve never actually managed to make it to a show of theirs, be it the Fringe proper, ARG, or even just in Bristol. It would be fascinating to see what they’re like out of “work in progress” mode, as this is delightfully ramshackle and I do wonder if it would lose some of its appeal if presented slicker. Sketches have recently changed without even some of the performers being aware of what’s happening; accents are added (this is not a metaphor), song lyrics are altered. They occasionally deliberately go to “panic” unwritten sketches to make up for distressing endings. The written sketches themselves are, to be fair, often intentionally distressing, so it’s often hard to tell. The three strike the ideal levels of both committment to the bit but also a certain sense of disregard, fully aware of how ridiculous this is. They are baffled to have a large audience attending such an embryonic version of the show, not least one that understands what they’ve got themselves in for. Whether or not they tighten it up, it’d be fun viewing at the Fringe