Beyond the Fringe

The British comedy world was turned upside down in the 1960s when a bunch of young Cambridge graduates brought some biting satire to the stage in a revue called BEYOND THE FRINGE. Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and Jonathan Miller served as both writers and performers, dressing up as thinly disguised parodies of establishment figures--something that was unheard of at the time. This led to the birth of the anti-establishment movement in comedy, and proved to be a huge influence on future generations of comedians; always looking to put a good pun to use, Cook even opened up a comedy/cabaret club in London called The Establishment. For many years it was thought that all remaining film of BEYOND THE FRINGE had been destroyed, but this performance from 1964 surfaced in 2005, and was one of the last shows the troupe ever staged together. Bennett, Cook, Moore, and Miller work their way through some vintage routines that have become the stuff of legend in the comedy world, and for many viewers it will be a long-awaited pleasure to finally laugh along with sketches such as "One Leg Too Few" and "Aftermyth of War." (Verleiher-Text)