Peepolykus, I am a Coffee

Review in Issue 9-3 | Autumn 1997

There was much talk on the Fringe this Summer about the cross-over between stand-up and character-based comedy. Peepolykus are gaining recognition as strong contenders in the comic-theatre corner. They now have considerable pulling-power on the Fringe and the fact that they didn't appear as nominees for the Perrier Comedy Awards raises the stakes in the stand-up versus character comedy debate – particularly in light of the fact that this year's award went to comedy sketch group League of Gentlemen.

If the Perrier decision signals a shift away from stand-up comedy, then Peepolykus are certainly in line for major attention on next year's Fringe. The company prove with I am a Coffee that they are no one-hit wonder. Though a tad less juvenile than Let the Donkey Go, the new show contains the same comic ingredients. Nicholson, Sant and Marzan are each aware of their individual strengths as comic performers and they consequently work beautifully in ensemble. They have no need to compete with each other for attention on stage, and as a result their work is refreshingly lacking in ego.

I am a Coffee might risk offending Catholics with its irreverent take on the papacy and Holy Communion, however it's all good, clean, knockabout fun; executed with brilliant comic timing by three such likeable chaps that it is impossible to sit through it without a smile on your face. Watch out, Peepolykus are heading for the outer stratosphere.

Presenting Artists
Presenting Festival
Presenting Venue
Date Seen
  1. Aug 1997

This article in the magazine

Issue 9-3
p. 21