Underbelly Cowgate – Delhi Belly
Underbelly Cowgate – Delhi Belly What to say about Alex Franklin: I Must Reach the Summit, Please God I Must Reach the Summit? Well for a start I have no idea how the title of this uniquely absurd show connects to anything within it. This is indeed an enigmatic and puzzling production throughout, comprising multiple segments of bizarrely entertaining nonsense, some moments of searingly bright, incisive clarity, and a lot of speeding through the routine at the speed of light in what seems to be an ADHD-fuelled frenzy. The scenes performed are largely hilarious, inventive and intelligent, but seemingly…
Rating
Good
A totally bewildering miscellany of mad delights to suit any lover of absurd and slightly demented theatre, from a unique emerging talent.
What to say about Alex Franklin: I Must Reach the Summit, Please God I Must Reach the Summit? Well for a start I have no idea how the title of this uniquely absurd show connects to anything within it. This is indeed an enigmatic and puzzling production throughout, comprising multiple segments of bizarrely entertaining nonsense, some moments of searingly bright, incisive clarity, and a lot of speeding through the routine at the speed of light in what seems to be an ADHD-fuelled frenzy. The scenes performed are largely hilarious, inventive and intelligent, but seemingly connected by very little at all.
Franklin delivers a confident, charismatic performance, with bucketloads of talent chucked in besides utter madness, and you really can’t help but like them. The show is threaded with personal stories, ideas of powerplay, a quest to become the most successful comedian in the world, fantasies of superheroes and supervillains, and tales of retro gameshows that exist in a weird subculture like a mycorrhizal network. It feels almost like cult performance, and the audience clearly loved it.
There are chunks of fabulously funny absurdity in the production. The characters of Gun Mouse and their arch nemesis Sword Dog particularly are befitting of the Mighty Boosh in their surreality and I would have stayed to buy the t-shirt if I’d not had another show to go to. Franklin’s communication as a bee through dance is hilarious, clever, and wonderfully silly.
The show is styled with a combination of low tech Powerpoint slides, alongside musical interludes on a cheap electric piano, and there are even some homemade shadow puppets thrown in, using bits of cardboard, kebab skewers and an audience member holding a phone torch. It’s definitely a vibe, but I’d love to see what would happen on a bigger budget.
Much as I loved this production, it did feel more a work in progress, and the shifting powerplay between performer and audience didn’t always land. Franklin’s characterisation moves from manic world dominator to young lad being forced into a career as a YouTuber by their father, to a trans woman with a story to tell; sometimes attacking the audience, other times laughing along with them. I found it hard to know how and what to respond to. At points more complex lighting might have helped dramatise the manic claims to power and give them comic definition. The distinct segmentation of material also means that there is little apparent structure or narrative to what is happening, and it doesn’t all tie into a coherent piece. Perhaps that’s intentional, perhaps not, but Franklin clearly has the skills to pull this together if they choose to, and I’d come back to see that show.
Franklin is a unique talent in an emerging form and to be watched out for. Perhaps world domination may yet still come. I left the Underbelly bemused, bewildered but laughing my socks off.
PS: Rather than waste money on printing and publicity, Franklin has hidden the £500+ they would have spent somewhere in Edinburgh and is running a treasure hunt with clues to find it! Check out their Twitter page to learn more.
Written by: Alex Franklin
Alex Franklin: I Must Reach the Summit, Please God I Must Reach the Summit plays at Underbelly Cowgate for EdFringe 2023 until 27 August. Further information and bookings here.