‘Jumping the Shark’ – Orchard Theatre, Dartford. 21.02.2023

I was intrigued when the Orchard announced this new comedy play, Jumping the Shark. I had no idea what to expect, but as it was written by David Cantor and Michael Kingsbury – the writers of one of my favourite BBC comedies, My Family – I was ready for some laughs.

Taken from the Orchard’s website:

Comedy’s no laughing matter…  “misleads”, “straight reverses”, “telegraphing”, “the rule of three” “the law of C”, “jumping the shark”… these are the rules of comedy. You can’t just learn them. You have to live them. 

Five strangers gather in the conference room of a shabby hotel on the outskirts of Farnham. Despite character differences, there is one thing that links Pam, Gavin, Morgan, Dale and Amy…the ambition to realise their dreams through comedy.

Frank Donohue, the finest sitcom writer of his generation, has flown in from Los Angeles to conduct a seminar teaching his five lucky disciples the tricks of the trade, and how to write the perfect sitcom.  During the class, their everyday lives are exposed revealing mix ups, farcical revelations and gut-wrenching tragedy.

It’s a small cast of just six, giving the actors a real opportunity to showcase their talent. Each has been given a distinctive character, which they play to perfection. The first two we are introduced to our Pam and Gavin, played by Sarah Moyle and Robin Sebastian respectively. Pam is a wife with unfulfilled ambition, Gavin an ageing, washed-up amateur actor. We get our first laugh when Gavin says he’s played one of the ugly sisters in panto, and Pam responds deadpan with ‘You have the face for that.’

They are followed by the quiet and mysterious Morgan (Harry Visinoni), who turns out to be a poet. Enter the loud and brashDale (Jack Trueman), a ‘jack the lad’ reminiscent of Del Boy. Amy is the last student to grace the stage, played by Jasmine Armfield – she doesn’t give much away. And finally, our teacher Frank (David Schaal), here to impart his wisdom on what makes a good sitcom.

The first Act is largely about setting up the second. Frank delivers a monologue that references a lot of 80s sitcoms. I got a couple – Ab Fab (NOT French and Saunders) and Only Fools and Horses – but the rest were beyond me, and would probably be lost completely on a younger audience. We learn the meaning of ‘jumping the shark’ – the point where a TV show loses popularity or decreases in quality. I won’t spoil it by revealing it’s origin too.

Each character tells an anecdote that could be made into a sitcom scene, revealing something of their lives and leading to some amusing moments. Then just at the end of the Act something unexpected happens – we are left on a cliff-hanger,as Amy reveals she and Frank have met before. The burning question – WHAT did Frank do to Amy? Again, I won’t give the game away, but I’m pleased to say I guessed it correctly!

I was a little unsure how I felt about it going into the interval, but come Act Two the pace really quickened and I was fully invested. Act Two, where the students present a sitcom scene they’ve written, is jam-packed full of witty dialogue and absolute hilarity ensues. We shouldn’t underestimate the skill involved as our actors act out being terrible actors.

Dale’s scene becomes an impromptu therapy session, where he’s comfortingly reassured by Morgan that ‘you have charisma but you are c**t’, to which Dale bashfully responds ‘you’re just saying that.’

Pam’s scene was by far my favourite, and the rest of the audience agreed judging by the round of applause that followed it. In my mind it cemented Sarah Moyle as my stand-out star; her delivery was fantastic. She gave us great lines like ‘He’s like Kim Jong-un with a Watford season ticket’, and the incredibly funny lasagne metaphor.

The whole cast gave us nearly 45minutes of non-stop comedy. Dale (Jack Trueman) says very little after his scene is acted out, but his facial expressions are gold as he watches everyone else’s unfold. 

Then, after much belly-laughing, we are hit with a serious ending. Amy confronts Frank, his secret is revealed, and we are left with a thought-provoking message: when everything is done, what is left to do but laugh?

Overall, Jumping the Shark makes for a thoroughly entertaining evening. The cast are fantastic, particularly Sarah Moyle, and they have a great on-stage dynamic. If you’re in need of a laugh and you have a chance to get to the Orchard this week, it’s definitely worth a trip.

Jumping the Shark is on at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford until Saturday 25 February. Tickets can be bought here. For information of future dates and venues of its current tour go here.