This is a hyperactive little one-man psychological comedy. Actor Justin Cliffe offers us a dozen characters who all bother poor Albert Lyme, a dull neurotic on a very bad day; Lyme is endearing, however, because everyone else in his world is so much worse. It’s part confession and part pantomime, as we’re carried along on Cliffe’s rapid fire expressions; he’s indebted to Terry Jones most of all, with his screeching falsetto when imitating women, his explosive grunting, and Lyme’s bravura tics. He deals well with a couple of mistakes and missed cues, moving too fast to linger on them. With visual tricks – a Scrabbleboard becomes a newspaper – and charmingly deliberate plot holes, this show is full of life.
Laughing Horse at Cafe Renroc, 5 – 19 Aug, 6.05pm (7.05pm), free, fpp275.
tw rating 3/5
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Sections: by Gavin Leech - ED2011 Theatre Reviews - tw rating 3/5 | Tags: Laughing Horse Free Festival, Tin Shed Theatre
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