Garry Star undoubtedly has the wildest show at the Edinburgh Fringe in Classic Penguins – and that’s quite an achievement.
The Australian comedian is bolder than brass, as he takes to the stage completely, 100%, naked. That’s right: it’s a no underwear zone.
While this may seem like an uncomfortable prospect, after just five minutes of willy-wiggling the clown makes full-frontal nudity in front of hundreds of strangers seem almost normal. Almost.
Easing the audience in, Garry’s knack for the art of play spirals the hour into euphoric chaos, with the audience totally immersed – and sometimes involved – in the action. It is wonderfully bonkers.
So much so, even unsuspecting men in the audience embraced a naked Garry in the final ten minutes, while one even got naked himself and joined the clown on stage. Meanwhile, one woman was tasked with pulling a miniature figurine out of his bum cheeks.
Perhaps the wildest moment of the evening came when a naked Garry crowd-surfed across the audience. He did make it, just – although the comic admitted on Instagram days ago that he’s got bumps, bruises and scratches, presumably from this moment.
Or perhaps the point when he gets into a grape fight, leap frogs over an audience member willy-ahoy, does a cartwheel, or the casual headstand bit, might have contributed to his injuries. Yep, it’s quite the rollercoaster hour.
The concept is simple – Penguin classics sit on a bookshelf, and Garry acts out each headline. Grapes of Wrath was indeed one. As was Bodysurfers. And Moby Dick, of course.
Done badly, or in poor taste, this would be an excruciating experience. But it’s utterly joyous. Garry’s brilliance is in his showmanship, and impressive physical comedy skills, where he can convey a message in a simple look, gesture or bum-pop, to make the audience howl with laughter.
Throughout, the audience knew what he was thinking – even if they had no idea what he was going to do next. Garry can go from a newborn Frankenstein’s monster one moment into a satirical expressive dance the next, performed with the elegance and sincerity of a ballerina, leading to one of the most hilarious sections of the evening.
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His delivery and comic timing was spot on, but most admirable was the atmosphere he created. It’s down-right silly, yet captivatingly so. While actors work for years to find their inner child – the base ingredient for comedy performance – Garry has located his alright. He’s living it.
Be warned though: you might be tempted to become a nudist yourself after this hour of unbridled joy. We suspect it might be freeing for Garry only – until he is joined on stage by a load of his clown friends, who are also in the full nude and embracing the mayhem.
While Garry’s show is silly to the core, I came away feeling lighter having seen such a ridiculous celebration of manhood. There’s no chin-scratching bravado here we’re so used to seeing on stage – just fun.
But that doesn’t make Garry’s show frivolous – there are lessons to be learnt from embracing your birthday suit and having a wiggle.
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