Comic's hoping to set a Guinness World Record for stage nudity

Garry Starr is hoping to set a Guinness World Record for ‘longest cumulative time of full-frontal nudity in a West End stage show’.

The comic alter-ego of Australian clown Damien Warren-Smith performs his Classic Penguins show naked save for an Elizabethan ruff, top hat and flippers.

He is currently in the middle of an 11-performance run of the 70-minute show at the Arts Theatre and has today announced his biggest shows yet, running every Sunday in February at the 700-seat  Garrick Theatre. 

Starr said: ‘You are witnessing theatrical history. Having already travelled from Australia to Edinburgh Fringe to the West End, Classic Penguins' popularity has grown so rapidly that we’re now moving to the iconic Garrick Theatre. 

‘What's more, I believe that by the end of this run I will have spent more time (tastefully) naked on a West End stage than any other performer before me. Talk about artistic exposure! I look forward to continuing to save LIT-ER-A-TU-RE in the name of penguins everywhere.'

There is currently no record for the nudity – although if there were, a likely candidate to hold it might be a cast member of the controversial revue Oh! Calcutta!, which ran for  3,900 performances in London from 1970 and included extended scenes of nudity.

In Classic Penguins, Starr offers his interpretation of literary masterpieces with a blend of slapstick, physical theatre, and anarchic clowning. Read our review from the 2024 Edinburg Fringe here. 

Published: 19 Nov 2025