New Zealand sketch troupe Scungebags take no prisoners as they soar through an hour of outlandish characters and straight up “what the hell was that?” moments. The three-piece of Freya Finch, Elle Wootton and Angela Fouhy begin Maggot under the guise of an exhausted Spice Girls-esque band, before ripping any comedic conventions to total shreds. Buried beneath this onslaught of absurdist humour lies a hearty cluttering of clever stereotypes and social commentary, but the top layer of experimental tomfoolery is all the sweeter for it.
Maggot, while effortlessly transitioning between scenes, does have some mild teething issues in places. The jokes intentionally go beyond the punchline, but occasionally it’s not quite far enough for that second wind of comedy to come around once again. It’s a tiny albeit noticeable note in the show, but not one that detracts from any of the other laughs throughout. The trio’s one-upmanship as affectionate cowboys is a joy to watch, as the audience begin to wonder just how much of the skit was actually planned. Speaking of which, Scungebags’ penchant for improv is brilliantly displayed tonight, when Finch spontaneously invents an alpha-male tech crew character to fix a set malfunction.
Maggot is overtly unique and highly ambitious, but that doesn’t stop it from being an accessible and simple comedy show at its core. Who knows what they will do next.
