Garry Starr: Classic Penguins
Soho Theatre
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Soho Theatre -
Garry Starr is back and this time tackling every Penguin Classic in under an hour, mostly naked and definitely unqualified. It’s a deeply and brilliantly stupid idea, executed with so much skill and joy that it ends up being one of the funniest seventy minutes you’ll have.
The premise? Starr is on a mission to perform all the Classic Penguin works of fiction. There’s no plot, no message, and no attempt at being clever and that’s exactly why it works. It’s just gag after gag, physical clowning at its most inventive after ludicrous interpretation, all held together by Starr’s ridiculous energy and absolute commitment to the bit.
What’s impressive is how consistently funny it is; it never drops - the audience is on board from the start. Whether he’s gaffa taping an audience member to the floor or flying over a metaphorical cuckoos nest, the beautiful, idiotic conviction always lands. It takes real skill to look this incompetent. Underneath the nonsense, you can tell Starr’s honed this chaos down to a fine art. The timing’s tight, the jokes land, and it’s clear he knows exactly when to push things over the edge. The flippers and ruff are just a bonus.
If you like your comedy fast, loud, and proudly brainless, this is essential viewing. A literary massacre in the best possible way. It’s a quiet spectacle yet somehow a fucking fever dream. A ridiculous, riotous ode to the joy of not taking anything - including oneself - too seriously.
If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Pingu dropped acid, lost his clothes and then fell in love with a librarian then this is for you.
Garry Starr: Classic Penguins is up at the Edinburgh Fringe 30th July - 25th August (21:30 / Underbelly George Square. Ticket for can be bought below:
Edinburgh: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/garry-starr-classic-penguins
