Theatre review: The After After Party is comedy gold

Anyone looking to laugh their pants off need look no further than The After After Party.

Hilarious, witty, and filled with quotable lines, it comes as no surprise it was the winner of The Cultch’s Cultchivating the Fringe Award. The award has provided writer and performers, Katey Hoffman and Cheyenne Mabberley, an opportunity to mount the show beyond the Fringe.

Hoffman and Mabberley have the audience in stitches as they portray two teenage best-friends, Fiona and Jules, on prom night. With only one month of high school left, these social outcasts have one goal: to become popular.

The first step though is remembering where the after after party is happening. This is made difficult as the two are drunk, high on crack, and somehow ended up in the middle of a park. Now they must go back in time, with the help of some Ritalin, to recall their night’s wild adventures.

Hoffman (Fiona) and Mabberley (Jules) compliment each other perfectly, and are an outstanding comedic duo. They are also co-writers of the story that began six years ago. The After After Party is a testament to their friendship both on and offstage. This friendship is at the core of the story, as we witness these two women struggle through a wild night together. The story is over the top insane, but we believe all of it and love them for their frenzied innocence.

Hoffman is a comedic standout, providing many of the hilarious lines, as well as a character who you cannot help but love, despite being told to be “best friends with her is like being friends with a feral dingo”.

Directed by Kayvon Khoshkam, with additional direction by Genevieve Fleming, the production incorporates elements of clowning, sketch comedy, and phenomenal writing to form a memorable experience.

This latest production, an extended version of their 2016 Vancouver Fringe show, does go on a little long. Stronger at its shorter length, the overall structure of the story could use some condensing and some clarifying, including a fight sequence which does not quite land, and feels like an unnecessary element. This small observation does nothing though to discount what is largely a triumphant success.

The After After Party is both bold and hilarious. Confident and anything but classy, these women radiate onstage, and are a comedy duo you will not easily forget.

Go see The After After Party to be reminded of that aching desire we all have to fit in and be cool. Leave wanting to be friends with the losers. They are deeply lovable.

The After After Party, by Katey Hoffman and Cheyenne Mabberley. Directed by Kayvon Khoshkam with additional direction by Genevieve Fleming An After Party Theatre Society Production. On stage at the Vancity Cultural Lab (1895 Venables St, Vancouver) until March 17. Visit https://thecultch.com for tickets and information.