Armageddon Outta Here by Tom Johnson (who we were lucky enough to chat to on our YouTube channel, which you can watch here) and Chris Roberts is a chaos-filled, hour-long comedy show that explores how different people deal with the impending end of the world. Harking back to the comedies of yesteryear, it features eccentric characters, wild slapstick comedy (including an actual bin being thrown across the stage) and even a musical number. This is a wonderfully silly show that will have you in equal parts hysterics and pure confusion!
Inspired by the duo’s earlier work, Sacrifice, the show opens in a rather unique fashion, with two astronauts travelling through space as they discover that a life-ending asteroid is heading towards Earth. As they realise the impending apocalypse, they fight over who will be remembered by the public as the hero of this apocalyptic event. I think it is fair to say that the public views space explorers as valiant and inspirational, but the team working on this project decided to totally subvert this idea, as the two astronauts essentially have a verbal and, at times, physical fight over who is the worst person in everyday life, making them the best nominee to sacrifice themselves for the greater good in order to change the public’s perspective of them personally. This bit of exposition at the beginning of the show helped to set up the overarching storyline of the entire production, but also introduced the sense of absurd, cartoon-inspired violence that audiences would see throughout the show. There is a sequence where a range of outlandish sound effects blast through The Saloon Bar at Just The Tonic as their heads bounce off the control panels in the fictitious ship. One of my favourite scenes throughout the entire show, however, saw the duo transform into two over-the-top, affluent gentlemen who are preparing to board a space shuttle to find refuge on a different planet. Chris plays a very stereotypical, materialistic-focused character who constantly boasts about how much money he earns and all of his conquests, before he bumps into a childhood friend who is notorious for being on the lower end of the intelligence scale. As this character, Tom makes sure to present this eccentric person as very unaware and oblivious to everything happening around them, particularly as their mother had booked the ticket for them. The twist, however, is that Tom’s character is not just boarding the flight but is actually in charge of piloting the rocket, with this reveal being met with fits of giggles from everyone in the audience.
One of my and my father’s favourite shows to watch together is the legendary 1991 show Bottom, starring Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson, and Armageddon Outta Here is clearly heavily inspired by this iconic British sitcom, as both have a plethora of insane physical comedy sequences, fight sequences and outlandish characters. This show at the Edinburgh Fringe sees both performers get covered in an array of grotesque liquids (including what is presented as urine in the show), and at one point during the show, an actual bin is thrown across the stage, colliding with Tom, which was just insane! The show itself comes to a wonderful end as the two performers come together to showcase a musical performance of the ‘Bollocks’ song, which was so incredibly bizarre and, once again, paid reference to the classic comedies of yesteryear!
In conclusion, Armageddon Outta Here by Tom Johnson and Chris Roberts is a chaotic, slapstick-infused comedy sketch show that harks back to some of the most iconic comedies of yesteryear, while also exploring how different people would react to the end of the world. Both performers possess immense, endless energy, transforming into a range of eccentric characters as they pour absolutely everything into ensuring this unique show stands out in the never-ending torrent of Fringe shows. This injection of chaotic, slapstick-centric comedy is the perfect start and will leave you totally perplexed but highly entertained! I would rate this show 4 out of 5 stars!
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