by ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This hour relies on a series of multiple misdirections, which really is the only way to keep a show like this going after the first couple of big reveals. Both of which are forewarned in the official show description: 1) prolonged nudity, and 2) this is a show not about penguins as animals, but about the Penguin Classic imprint of literary fiction. And Starr is going to lead us, fully bare, through as many of the classics as he can.
And yet. He doesn’t dare do it alone. He will make the audience a part of the act. (Even this reviewer got pulled onstage for a prolonged hug, at which point Starr was quite sweaty. Ahem)
And yet, and yet, it’s all in good clean fun. Nobody is forced to do anything they don’t want to do. Starr (real name Damien Warren-Smith) is an Aussie clown who trained in France at Philippe Gaulier, and he has a tender way of dealing with his audiences. If you’re not afraid, get ready to jump in and see what’s between the covers of classic literature.
And if you need to see what Garry Starr is all about without seeing all of Garry Starr, then you’re in luck because he’s starring in a second show earlier in the day, fully clothed and family-friendly, Monkeys Everywhere.
Garry Starr “Classic Penguins” plays at Pleasance Courtyard during the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe
