EDINBURGH Comedy
Impressionists have long been ditched by television, but on stage they’re still a big draw. The recent revival of Spitting Image proved a box-office winner, while at the Fringe Luke Kempner and Matt Forde have been making an impact. But for the purist, Jon Culshaw, right, is the go-to mimic. In his new show Imposter Syndrome (Gilded Balloon Teviot) HHHHH, the Dead Ringer rips through half a century of politicians and entertainers, while taking in gags, anecdotes, his comedy CV and, most surprisingly, some superb songs.
At first you fear he’s aiming at the
Radio 4 silver-hair brigade with an intro theme from 1970s supersoap Crossroads and references to voices of yesteryear in Tony Blackburn and Fred Dibnah.
But a whirlwind tour of politics (ReesMogg transforming into Thatcher), some cracking anecdotes (‘I was recording a margarine ad with Ozzy Osbourne…’) and the unexpected musical detours (segueing from Arctic Monkeys to George Formby) all result in a breathlessly entertaining hour.
Simon Munnery’s Jerusalem (The Stand) HHHHH slows the pace right down. Munnery has been performing at Edinburgh for 30 years, and while at times you fear for his sanity, his unerring, off-kilter eye never fails to find the funny. A classic 1990s Munnery show was a visionary, grandiose, avant-garde affair, whereas these days his act bumbles along endearingly, laced with piercing comic insight and the odd Venn diagram. Scattergun and ramshackle, he makes a pronouncement, voices random thoughts, recites a poem or an aphorism, relates an anecdote or even tells a joke. It all adds up to the perfect Fringe experience.
Rob Auton has an air of Munnery’s eccentricity about him. Past shows have been about hair and the colour yellow, but in The Rob Auton Show (Assembly Roxy) HHHHH he’s finally addressing the subject of himself. A sensitive, awkward performer, Auton’s slow-burn approach draws you into his world of wonder. Like Paul Whitehouse’s Fast Show character who thinks everything is ‘BRILLIANT’, but crossed with Daniel Kitson’s lyrical, philosophical style, he recreates his formative years with the help of poems, paintings and anecdotes to leave you entranced. Like a sunbeam from heaven in human form, Auton is a constant delight.