Review: Dr Sketchy’s York

Dr. Sketchy’s brings the ‘anti-art’ movement to York, aiming to replace the static, focused nature of your average art class with a more lively experience. The show encourages the audience to sketch along to with the cabaret, great soundtrack and friendly atmosphere. However, does Dr. Sketchy’s qualify as a great burlesque experience or merely a glorified life-drawing session?

This week’s ‘Rocky Horror Show’ themed evening featured a burlesque cast dancing, miming and posing to the soundtrack of the famous musical, with a small audience dividing their attention between the show and the stack of blank pages in front of them. After each routine the performers took position either on stage or right at your table, allowing for detailed depictions of the ample bosom and belly on show.

A distinctly tongue-in-cheek vibe underlined the entire night, from the funny but unimpressive dance routines, to the friendly small talk with the quirky and lively cast. A six-foot-something northern man sat at our table for one of the 5 minute close-up sessions, and told us about how he got into the burlesque business as we frantically scribbled his corseted torso and fishnet tights. He later asked to buy our artwork, and although we gladly handed it over for free we were impressed at the warmth and openness of the cast.

We felt welcome and involved throughout the show which certainly felt like an improvement on the judgemental, silent experiences I’ve had with life drawing in the past. In this respect Dr. Sketchy’s achieves its goal of shaking up the formula and we can’t fault it for that.

However the burlesque itself, although adult in nature, was comparable to a school play in terms of the quality and talent on offer. Given the steep £8 entry, this was one for the hardcore Rocky Horror Fans or the dedicated artists, but as casual scribblers it fell slightly short on entertainment value for money. If it weren’t for the charismatic ‘ringleader’ leading the show, or the familiar and catchy music, we would have felt a little disappointed that the burlesque, as the big selling point, wasn’t more impressive.

Dr. Sketchy’s certainly goes a long way to providing a fun and quirky twist on the life-drawing format, and in that respect it does well in accomplishing its goal. However, as a 2 hour show with a hefty ticket price, it doesn’t quite do enough to leave you satisfied.