Goose: Hydroberserker

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Let's get one thing straight. Goose is not, as billed, a "solo sketch act". Star Adam Drake gets all the glory, but this irrepressibly funny, unrelentingly high-speed show is a testament to collaboration. There's co-creator Ben Rowse, a seven-piece live band, a cast of guest performers—including the superbly droll Cath Hughes—and a tech team creating live AV throughout. That's not a criticism: Hydroberserker is an absolute masterclass in ambitious teamwork pulling off super human feats.

Propelled by the story of Drake's first date with the woman of his dreams, and his quest to find her again through a cryptic note on a cabbie's business card, Goose accomplish more in a breakneck hour than most sketch groups do in a career. The show covers the gamut of comedic possibilities: improvisation, observation, surrealism, satire, clowning and music collide, often in the same moment. The 'sketches' last anywhere from a few minutes to a second, leaving the laughter to catch up. A rant about sexism segues into an argument about similes with Dan Brown. A pull-back-and-reveal comes and goes in moments.

It's not just tightly scripted and superbly rehearsed: some of Drake's best moments are off-the-cuff crowd work. It's also structurally audacious. Every breathless stumble turns into a feint, ideas collapse and sketches smash together. And it builds, with every audience interaction and left-field sketch hurtling towards the grand finale.

The biggest problem with Hydroberserker is describing its wild originality and high-speed lunacy to anyone who wasn't there. It's phenomenal. Just go.