Edinburgh Fringe: The Ginge, the Geordie and the Geek
There are a lot of standup comedians at the Fringe. An overwhelming amount, it sometimes seems.
- By Jack McKeown
- Published in the Courier : 09.08.10
- Published online : 09.08.10 @ 09.46pm
But there aren't very many comedians that do the sort of old fashioned, back-to-basics sketch show that is the Ginge, the Geordie and the Geek's stock in trade.
This is the young trio's second year at the Fringe and the fruits of their 2009 debut could be seen in the near capacity crowd that attended their opening performance.
For some acts, the first couple of preview days at the show are where the creases are ironed out, but the Ginge, the Geordie and the Geek were polished and near flawless from the get go.
Their live performance is bookmarked by professionally put together video sequences, but the main body of the show is rapid fire sketch scenes. They come thick and fast and are, on the whole, drawn with imagination and a nice eye for detail.
There's the two frontline soldiers who, about to be overwhelmed by the enemy, radio headquarters for their secret weapon — James Blunt, singing his saccharine sweet hit Beautiful, who scatters the enemy before blundering, like Hannibal's elephants, out of control and causing collateral damage.
Some are completely offbeat, such as the cow and bee that want their milk and honey back, while others cast a more satirical eye, as with the superhero Polishman, who repeatedly saves the day while Britishman takes constant breaks and whines about foreigners stealing our jobs.
My favourite is the irritating and relentless charity collector who encounters two armed robbers on their way to a bank heist. No matter how many times they shoot him, he keeps rising up, Terminatorlike, asking for a direct debit donation.
The show's success relies on the inventiveness of the sketches and on the talents of the young men on stage. All three are fine actors in their own right and Dundee lad Graeme Rooney — who, naturally, plays the Ginge — displays great versatility, carrying off a range of accents and making good use of a fine singing voice.
Paul Charlton is also adept as the Geordie while, despite being suspiciously muscular for a character titled 'the Geek,' Kevin O'Loughlin has one of those wonderfully expressive faces that can elicit laughter without uttering a sound.
The Ginge, the Geordie and the Geek are on at Just the Big Room, Just the Tonic @ The Caves(venue 88), 253 Cowgate until August 29 (not 17th).
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