Boris And Sergey's Astonishing Freakatorium

By J.H. Kamper

This show was... wow. It was dark - VERY dark - but funny, and memorable. The beginning brings us into what seems to be some sort of freak circus that you would expect to find in the seedier alleyways of Victorian London. We are introduced to our hosts, Boris and Sergey, who take the form of small, leathery puppets, a little uncomfortably reminiscent of shrunken heads. Or maybe that's just me.

The premise of the show itself is that Boris and Sergey want to thrill us with a horrifying freakshow, but things keep going wrong, and this is whence the humour derives. The comedy is bolstered by the Pinky-and-the-Brain-esque double act between Boris and Sergey. Then bring on improvisation, audience participation, and storytelling, among other acts, to fill it all out. The comedy leans towards the predictable at times, but throughout all this the masterful puppetry of each of the characters really stands out. With puppetry, it's often difficult to suspend one's disbelief enough - I still struggle with Timon in The Lion King stage show - but somehow on this small Fringe stage I was able to simultaneously admire the puppeteers and forget they were there.

One caveat about the ending of the show (no spoilers, I promise): it gets very, very dark, very quickly. I found that the black comedy became much more 'black' than 'comedy'. It must vary from person to person, but there are some things that it is very risky to joke about and this was toeing the line for me. Sorry to end a review on that note, but that's the same note on which they ended the show.

P.S. in short: On the whole, be prepared for something hugely entertaining - funny, very dark, and absolutely memorable.

Boris & Sergey's Astonishing Freakatorium

Flabbergast Theatre

Underbelly Cowgate

Runs until 24th

★★★★ @postscriptjour

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