| 09 August 2011
Last year's surprise hit, Late Night Gimp Fight, returns to the Edinburgh stage with a suitably rousing version of Lady Gaga's ‘Born This Way,’ with lyrics adapted to introduce our team of Gimps. The mostly young crowd goes wild at the appearance of their heroes, and everything looks set for an hour of big laughs and naughty bits.
And that's mostly what we get, with the youth of the Gimps belying their sophisticated (and sometimes not so sophisticated) way with a sketch. Idiots of Ants, currently riding high at the top of the sketch comedy heap, come to mind as an obvious inspiration for the gang, with a heaping pile of extra knob gags thrown on top for good measure.
Certain elements are simply visually stunning, with blacklight being used to brilliant effect - a restroom's worth of singing toilet seats comes to mind, while a dancing man puppeteered by the team using glowing gloves, hats and shoes would no doubt win rave reviews on Britain's Got Talent. The charm is immediately punctured, of course, by the entrance of a glowing woman and a massive umbrella erection, but what else would you expect from this Late Night crew?
The scatological and anatomical humour is unlikely to be to everyone's taste, but it wouldn't be hard to see a toned-down version propelling the team into television's welcoming arms. As the audience's rapturous reaction proves, however, Late Night Gimp Fight appears to have found a rather comfortable niche. Whether the Gimps are happy to stay there or try to strike out in a new, more populist direction remains to be seen.
Late Night Gimp Fight!, Pleasance Above, 3-29 Aug (not 20), 10.30pm
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