Review: Brazen Hodgepodge (The Old Court, Windsor)

At the start of 2025, when I decided to write about every show I saw for the coming year, I also told myself to have an open mind about seeing different genres of theatre.  Comedy shows lurk in my peripheral range, evoking memories of a comedy club years ago where the entire thing was based on audience participation and belittling paying guests. Not my thing at all.  As a result, I was a bit unsure what I was letting myself in for when heading to The Old Court in Windsor to see Brazen Hodgepodge.

Before the live action began there was a skit of audio only which broke the ice and made everyone focus. When the performers appeared and the format became clear, I started to realise the journey had been well worth it. A series of many many sketches, some of them mere seconds long were thrust upon us at a hectic pace, with no let up from start to finish of each act, as the audio bridges that took place between scenes kept the energy level constant. This was such a clever way to set new scenes, as blackout alone would have let the mood wane. No chance of that here.

As with any collection of work, some of the sketches landed better than others.  In the first half in particular there were a couple of skits that perhaps could do with tweaking slightly or being cut off a bit earlier.  However, with so many different situations occurring before us, there were a vast majority that that were amusing and entertaining, and the first half ended on a high with the song “It’s Great to Have a Royal Family”, which was hilarious.  The fact Windsor Castle is about a ten minute walk away somehow made this song even more amusing. I love that sort of laughter where you feel on the edge of losing it completely – and this was one of those moments for me.

After the interval, again we started on a high with a Trump/Starmer sketch that was so funny, in particular the characteristics of Trump mimicked by Sam Gibbons were spot on, and some clever improv in response to random questions invited from the audience also demonstrated some quick thinking by both performers. The second act continued, even funnier than the first, with the same level of energy in the performances throughout.  

The writing is tight and intelligent and shows that Brazen Hodgepodge is something that has been worked on meticulously over time. I also get the sense it will be continued to be worked on and that it could potentially be on the cusp of becoming a show for much larger audiences.

The cast is made up of four people, Sam Gibbons who also writes a lot of the material and directs, Martha Cranston whose performance of “The Only Woman in the Show” was a highlight. Sebastian Senior who could make me laugh just by pulling a facial expression and Michael Workman, who has a great physical comedy delivery. These four performers work so well together as well as when they have solo time on stage. Not to mention the fantastic vocals and harmonies in the songs – all of which were entertaining. This is, to me, quite a rare thing, a lot of songs that are meant to be funny just aren’t, or get repetitive quickly. The cast must also be admired for their professional response (ie ignoring of) some obnoxious audience members’ behaviour (constant talking) during the first half… being able to zone that out was admirable in itself.

I arrived feeling slightly out of my comfort zone. I left feeling like I want to see Brazen Hodgepodge again in future.  A proper evening of entertainment and laughter and I am definitely a new fan.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Brazen Hodgepodge is showing at The Old Court until 31st May.

More photos of this show and others are over on my Instagram.

I was gifted tickets for this show in exchange for an honest review.