George Pena: Escaped From New York

Note: This review is from 2002

Review by Steve Bennett

There's a lot of padding in George Pena's show - thankfully, most of it is around this opera-trained comic's waist.

He enters the stage in a visually stunning fat suit and fright wig to belt out a quick aria, complete with comedy mime.

And so good is his amazing voice that he has to break off to reassure a disbelieving audience: "It's me", not some prerecorded tape.

When Pena sings, you listen. And be impressed. But it's not just opera - he tackles everything from Enrique Inglesias to Eminem with perfect mimicry.

In a barnstorming tour-de-force routine, he rattles through a dozen or so musical styles in just a few short minutes, sweeping the audience along on a wave of energy. Quite remarkable for 1.30pm in the afternoon.

Pena - a Tenerife-based New Yorker - has something of the street entertainer about him, in that he can demand attention, and hold it, with his powerful personality.

It's not exactly subtle, but it is feelgood and irresistible, making it impossible not to get caught up in the mood of the moment.

His stand-up is patchier, including some very dodgy stuff about Latinos stinking (allegedly excusable because that's his ethnicity) alongside some reasonable, but unexciting, material about transatlantic language problems.

There's also some straight opera-singing to conclude the show, and further demonstrate Pena's stunning range.

This isn't clever, but it is big, and makes for a lively way to kick off a hard day at the Fringe.

Review date: 1 Jan 2002
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett

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