Totally Tom |
Published on Saturday, 01 September 2012 | |||||
I could try to explain the plot of this hour-long show I from Totally Tom, but it would be a futile attempt. The story does follow a plot strand, but veers off wildly in all directions. Thankfully, it is an absolute joy to watch it do so. In summary, it tells the tale of a prisoner who escapes – using two obnoxious journalists, a prison talent show involving a murderous magician, and a ‘Papa Roach’ concert (it is acknowledged that Papa Roach haven’t performed together since 1998, for all you die-hards). The show excels not in its grand pieces, but in its little snippets of humour; be they a genius’s uncontrollable muttering of ‘insightful thoughts’ (such as ‘3 x 8 is 24’), or a brilliantly bizarre electric chair dance routine to ‘Aqua’. It’s rare for a show to actually be laugh-a-minute, but this is nearer 10-laughs-a-minute, with a gag rate at ‘Naked Gun’ levels. These aren’t just throwaway cheap jokes either, they’re all intelligently thought out, and pretty brilliant. The show favours a younger audience, with the pop culture references likely to go over the head of anyone over 40 (although I did spot a woman of pensionable age visibly appreciating a reference to the new Batman film). But aside from that, it’s pretty easy to enjoy. Just sit back and watch two men lose all sense of reality, and occasionally adopt American accents for no real reason. It’s too late for this one this Fringe, but if you get a chance to catch it elsewhere, I strongly recommend it to you. I’ve seen numerous shows this year and this stands out as the best. These guys are about to get massive – but until then, grab any chance you get to enjoy two of the finest performers the Fringe has seen this year. |
Macbeth >> |
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FROM OUR ARCHIVES
These are archived reviews of shows from Edinburgh 2012. We keep our archives online as a courtesy to performers, and for readers who'd like to research previous years' reviews.