Edinburgh Fringe 2015
Vegas Nocturne
Spiegelworld
Genre: Cabaret, Comedy, Fringe Theatre, Physical Theatre, Variety Show
Venue: Pleasance
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
We begin with Ike and Casey who enter to say hello to us all. This is 70’s American schmaltz with an edge to it. It is sharp and beautifully crafted and observed. Peter is on the keyboard whilst Tyler and Max arrive some way in to provide us with some strange comedy that is eventually overtaken by Ike’s continued need to sing us the same song. Max tries his hand at wrestling someone in the audience and it all comes crashing to an end with a tinge of lounge lizard sleaze as Max wears a leotard and gets Casey to hold him gingerly.
Review
Part of this is sharply and incredibly well observed. Both Ike and Casey have the whole hosting thing down to a T. This is uncomfortable, patronising and making a lot of something out of a heap of nothing. Tyler and Max add some manic physical comedy that was, for me a bit hit and miss. Tyler’s stand up didn’t grab me, Max’s entrance didn’t either but there was something about the wrestling that worked – particularly when Dave, from the audience roared at Max. The making a Michael Caine face out of an apple didn’t make me laugh much but the suggestions box which lead to Max entering in a leotard did. It straddles the area between funny and uncomfortable, comfortably well.
As a cabaret end of evening it therefore sizzled at times and at others was looking for something to reignite it. The music was all lounge favourites and Ike’s song was like an American song book stream of consciousness that tumbled out of someone’s head. It was fantastic. The ambience of the music played from when we entered to when we left was an essential part of the experience. It gave us an uncomfortable cuddle in the midst of which we could wriggle at such songs as babies in my butthole. That this was performed with the use of two young ladies from the audience who relished it added to the discomfort.
There were few in the crowd and this deserves a better audience. Despite the fact that I might have found some of it less than the sum of the parts I was hoping for it did make most of the audience cackle away. As it always ends in a catch phrase let me just say that it was as flash as Newcastle.
