Balls Deeper (Komedia Studio 80, Brighton)

Imagine Glee on heroine, with special guest stars Jack Black, Russell Brand, and Enrique Iglesias in an intimate setting.  Balls Deeper is an interactive karaoke concert peppered with theatrical video clips and memorable one liners. This cheeky comedy tells the story of a cleverly named band, Rayguns Look Real Enough, which consists of Ray Gunn Ryan Beange and Luke Real Paul Flannery.

Gunn is the tambourine shaking front man clad in tiger Lycra with an addiction to squirty cream and Yakult drinks.  He is just as irreverent as Tenacious D himself and works in perfect harmony both musically and comically with his lead guitarist, Real, who is a witty and defiant rocker that is the spitting image of Russell Brand. 

The two work very well together and deserve kudos for their improvisational skills, audience interaction, and ability to make the audience both cringe and wet themselves with laughter.

In a “mockumentary” style reminiscent of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the audience is taken on a journey that begins with the band’s height of success in The Netherlands in 2010 and their tragic downfall on the rock and roll scene after getting cut by their record producer.  The straight man drummer, Eddie Nuff endeavours to maintain a sense of normalcy throughout the chaos of the production with an idea to gain the band popularity again through a viral video on You Tube. 

Although no Tony or Grammy awards will be given for the performances, the actors were well prepared, highly entertaining, and terribly clever. They deserve recognition for their ability to draw in the audience and involve them in the show. Whether the audience members were singled out to be used at the butt of a joke, seduced with a sexy song, or competing with Gunn in a rap battle, by the end of the show everyone was caught up and having a great time.  It would be extremely difficult not to have a smile on your face watching this over the top comedy that adapts itself to its viewers.

What I liked best about this production was the clever mash up of tunes that blended seamlessly together, often building into triple and quadruple mash ups of songs that you would never in your life expect to hear together, but glad that you did afterwards! If you don’t believe me, in the opening number they combine Britney Spears with Stevie Nicks! Balls Deeper is fast-paced, witty, and lots of fun.