The first 10 minutes of Gamarjobat are a physical comedy masterclass. Like a Japanese Men in Coats, this double act (their names are Ketch and Hiropon) have made vaudevillian silent comedy their own. There's the routine with the stationary suitcase; there's business with disappearing thumbs and stretched limbs. There are doctored props, and a waist-high screen behind which the pair glide up and down as if on escalators.
I could happily have handled an hour of this shtick. But they have other plans: the rest of the show recasts the boxing movie Rocky as a silent comedy. And thoroughly enjoyably too. In one sequence, the gruff trainer puts the rookie through their paces. Another spoofs the cine-collage in which a boxer gets a few early victories under his belt.
The pair's skills are never as dazzling again as in the overture: the mime isn't always clear, and the boxing gets repetitive. But there's always a winning gag around the corner. It's great to see classic silent comedy skills applied to storytelling, especially by such endearing performers. If their show isn't quite a knockout, it wins on points.
· Until August 29. Box office: 0870 241 0136.
