by *** 1/2 (out of 5)
Sometimes the buzz is a bit much? Sometimes it’s better to experience a debut without any expectations.
Because I’d heard plenty of talk beforehand about newcomer John Tothill, from whispers of potential nominations to a testimonial from the stagehand who scanned my QR code that his was the best show she’d seen all Fringe. Which when I’m in a pissy mood, prompts an internal (or even external) vocal reply of “I’ll be the judge of that.” So there I sat, watching Tothill vamp for an hour with a front row full of Golden Girls, a back row of his friends, and an extremely appreciative crowd in between. He’s camp, but apparently not Harry Styles camp? He’ll also self-describe his comedy as cabaret TED Talk. Or as “comedy Oscar Wilde wouldn’t write, but he would attend and resent.” As a Year 4 teacher at a Catholic school, Tothill comes to Fringe ready with a lesson plan for all, as we’ll learn what flirting has to do with Oliver Cromwell and the Queen Mary, and by the end, we’ll all confess in such a way that we’re free to sin again.
Then again, Tothill’s show was directed by the late Adam Brace. So perhaps the buzz was worthy, after all.
John Tothill: The Last Living Libertine runs through Aug. 27 at Pleasance Courtyard Below
