Ennio Marchetto: Pure delight
Ennio Marchetto
Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33), The Pleasance
22:30, July 30 – Aug 10, Aug 12-15
WATCHING JESUS CHRIST morph into Conchita Wurst is a thing you won’t easily forget. And a panda turning into Alex Salmond is also quite an arresting site.
Ennio Marchetto as Eminem
Set all this to music with slick lighting, a bang-on follow spot, tight-as-a-drum switches and staggeringly creative origami-like costume transformations, and you have a perfect recipe: This is stunning, hilarious, sly and universal. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, you’ll laugh, clap and smile all the way through.
On the night I saw this show, the theatre was packed to capacity. I heard at least seven different languages in the audience, and saw several people on the verge of tears of laughter as they cracked up at what they saw on stage. The fluency and accuracy of Marchetto’s characterisations is jaw-dropping, the brilliance of the costume transformations delightful, and the timing and flow of this hour of delightful and often edgy ‘paper cartoons’ is something you should witness in person, with your best friends, and with a drink in your hands.
Among my own favourites were Bruce Springsteen, The Pope, Simon Cowell, Bono, Dolly Parton, The Mona Lisa, Maria Callas, Celine Dion, and Tina Turner, but Freddie Mercury’s ‘I want to be free’ with its sly employment of a Union Jack also provided a wicked little independence message.
This show offers the perfect end to a day at the Edinburgh Festival. I’ve no hesitation in saying this is 5-star. Book this right now to avoid missing out, and you will really enjoy yourself. Marchetto creates an incredible, joyful spectacle.
***** 5 stars
