It's hard to put "A Young Man Dressed As A Gorilla Dressed As An Old Man Sits Rocking In A Rocking Chair For 56 Minutes And Then Leaves... 16" into words.
In one way, it does exactly what it says on the tin, but in more ways, it's possibly the wildest show I've ever seen at Fringe!
I arrived 2 hours before the show began, a friend of mine having waited an hour before hand to make sure we got in. The poor staff member at the door was hounded with requests for a line to officially start for "The Gorilla Show" when there was still 2 more shows to happen in between.
Eventually, the line had to start as the waiting area began to fill up. The line went out the venue and onto Victoria Street.
This is a show everyone wants to see, yet, at the same time, most have never even heard of it!
The atmosphere was nothing short of electric as the Gorilla takes the stage.
He does exactly as advertised, but the show takes place around him. He is a prop on the stage for the audience to play with, but at the same time he is revered as a god.
Offerings are made by the audience, and the story is also created by them. Each person who takes the stage becomes either a hero or a villain in this performance.
Anything can happen! Comments are yelled by the audience, some are duds and are quickly booed, but some comments whip the crowd into a frenzy and quickly become the new action of the story. When it runs its course, the crowd instinctively and collectively shush one another, almost as if to signify the end of one scene and the beginning of another.
The night had its selection of bizarre moments. We all took out our phones on flashlight and waved them around whilst singing Robbie Williams's "Angels". The Gorilla does as he said he would, he rocks in his rocking chair with no indication that he even notices our performance.
At different points, the stage was filled with bananas, a bouquet of flowers, hats, sunglasses, bras, pints, tobacco, childhood gorilla teddy bears, and, by the end, it was a cacophony of madness. But when 56 minutes hits, the Gorilla stands up and leaves as the stage is filled with not only the debris of madness but also several members of the audience who were in the midst of playing with him.
He leaves with the stride of a stoic leader as we chant for him, all of us grateful to have been blessed with his presence for 56 whole minutes.
I usually only upload a picture of the poster and my rating, but I had to submit some photos and videos to make this make sense!
This show deserves a Fantastic Fringe Award, and a high recommendation to see it if it returns next year for another one night only performance.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Are there any other one night only performance or fringe cult classics you would recommend? I hope you have been enjoying your fringe and that the last week leaves you feeling like you've had a fantastic fringe! 😁
Love,
Tony x