Fringe Review: The Boy With Tape on His Face – More Tape

 

Now playing at one of the biggest fringe venues, it’s incredible that this sell out comedian can entertain such a large audience for an hour without a word being said, but trust me, he can and will make you laugh for a full hour. It’s hard to believe that a whole audience can be entertained by one man, with a piece of duct tape over his mouth for the entire performance, a few cardboard boxes full of a random assortment of odd, everyday props and a whole load of imagination. His creativity and humor is utterly infectious and will leave you with a grin on your face long after you’ve left the massive Pleasance grand.

The first thing that strikes the audience is the contrast between the massive setting, epic music and simple and mundane props. As he sits, waiting for the show to begin, you cannot help but find his mannerisms sweet and charming while letting the sense of anticipation and excitement take hold. Using physical comedy, gesture, puppetry and mime, the boy with tape on his face communicates with the audience in a purely physical sense. His facial expressions and gestures are perfect in every way and utterly hilarious.

This kind of comedy transcends language, culture and age. It’s hard to imagine an audience member not enjoying one of his shows. With such inventive use of props; toothbrushes, chairs, bags, shoes, tape measures, potato mashers, hangers and a whole assortment of other bits and bobs, this comedian creates ingenious scenes while involving audience members and communicating their role in the sketch without any words being said.

This show was an absolute pleasure to watch. Without one word uttered during this entirely enjoyable hour, the whole audience was utterly enthralled by each new and exciting scene. I could hardly bare to tear my eyes away from the stage to scribble notes in case I missed one second of this absolutely hilarious show. Don’t keep quiet about this comedian, shout it loud if you’ve loved it and if you’ve yet to see him – get there quick as you’ll regret it if you don’t.

The Boy With Tape On His Face, Pleasance Courtyard, till 26th August, 21:40