‘Anything is possible!’ beckons a character dressed in a purple bodysuit on roller skates as the opening ceremony finishes. Your rag-tag host for the evening is Zach Zucker, a modern-day showman fit for Barnham and Bailey if it performed on the Off-Broadway. He’s less than presentable in a poorly fitting suit, a missing shoe and a toe poking through the front of his sock. It is at that point that I ask myself, What on earth have I signed up for? He then leans into the microphone to speak but is interrupted by floodlights flashing and the mighty clap of a thunder sound effect. Anticipation in the audience rises as the room is cast in red lights and Dracula makes his entrance on the stage. Zach turns back around to face the audience, aghast. Only fifteen seconds into Stamptown Comedy and it is clear that anything does seem possible.

StampTown comedy is an internationally renowned variety performance and has made its way to the heart of London in Soho. The audience can expect a perfect balance of absurdism, razor-sharp writing and raunchy late-night spectacle. For the duration of the show, you’re transported to what feels like another planet. It’s just over an hour of random and disjointed variety acts, neatly sewn together by the masterful storytelling of Zach Zucker, the ringmaster. It is clear that each act makes very little sense as a standalone performance. The beauty of visiting StampTown though is that whilst the spotlights are on, for a fleeting seventy minutes, it all makes sense. The Soho Theatre takes shape as the surrealist setting of life in StampTown.

En route to Soho Theatre, the team at StampTown has blazed a trail of awards and critical acclaim across the globe. They’ve won the New York Posts Comedy Award (2021), the Chortle Awards Best Variety Show (2020) and nominated for Broadway World’s Best Comedy award (2018). From performing since 2016, they’ve created a class of comedy that’s uniquely StampTown. It takes the wheel right out of your hands and assumes control over the next hour of your life. This is something that would seem terrifying if there wasn’t a cabinet full of awards reassuring those watching each performance.

Their recent travels have taken them on a truly international tour, including the New York Off-Broadway. They made this their home for some time before a series of hit performances at the Edinburgh Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Soho Theatre is a special venue to find themselves in though as their pedigree stretches back to 1979. For years the Soho Theatre has acted as a beacon for fringe, alternative comedy and theatre. They found talent that pushed the boundaries of the mainstream and experimented with the socially acceptable. This lineage of counter-culture has lost no traction since then. The absurdity and outlandish nature of StampTown is simply the most recent in a long line of experimental comedy performances.

One of the most significant parts about StampTown is its dedication to outdo itself, over and over again. Particularly in the way of its late-night, alternative character where one should expect motifs of liberation and self-expression. They make this incredibly obvious in the form of copious amounts of nudity throughout the entire show. Every piece of clothing removed is no meaningless trifle with societal norms, but an extra layer in their aim to entertain.

To bring shock and awe to all that visit StampTown and seek an experience so unique, even in the home of counter-culture theatre. It’s a new outlook on what comedy can be. A complete stranger may be completely nude in front of you, and yet their dialogue or performance seems more ridiculous.

The variety shows constant use of sound as a call and response act is truly masterful. Our faithful proprietor of events, Zach, interacts with a non-present entity throughout his narration pieces. The sound engineer is lightning-fast with his wit when selecting a whole host of soundbites and is mixed live throughout the performance. It adds to the dishevelled appearance of Zach, layering his character with questions of sanity and eccentricity. Any suspicion the audience has of his unhinged nature is confirmed as the show progresses.

Be not afeared though, in between the nudity and the soundboard riffs lies a well-thought-out, and often biting, layer of satire. The brief moments of calm as you enter the eye of the storm give’s ample chance to listen. Whether it’s to one of the few stand-up acts like Natalie Palamides or the fictitious New York Post reporter that often appears, played by Martin Urbano, there is always an effort to break the mould. To arouse the ‘did I just hear that?’ stream of thoughts and to make colourful gestures at the greyest of politicians and public figures. StampTown has a serious place in the modern comedy circuit, even if that may be at the very fringes.

The show comes to an end as the lights dim, the curtain drops and the stage falls silent. With that, a thunderous applause and wave of cheering fills the room once again. Amongst the celebration, it takes a moment of reflection to process the night’s performance and regale the folly of StampTown’s outlandish take on comedy. The Master of Ceremonies had taken hold of the audience’s attention for the last hour with his dazzling display of spectacle. As a true showman, he tamed the animals of his circus, danced joyfully under the lights of the theatre and called it closed on yet another night in StampTown. One is left with the feeling that anything is possible.