Paul Currie: Release The Baboons | Review by Marissa Burgess
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Paul Currie: Release The Baboons

Note: This review is from 2014

Review by Marissa Burgess

Paul Currie's opening gambit has the potential to turn into an administrative nightmare when his room his full. Starting as he means to go on, before the show begins, he moves his audience around. Wherever you've decided is comfortable, he'll move you somewhere else – using only the power of mime and a sun visor to make people bend to his will. They do, though it's a little chaotic given the amount of people that are milling about looking for a seat.

It's already been well documented that Currie likes nothing more than fiddling with his audience. When he finally mounts the stage he's certainly not done with the participation, as in his opening segment he gets us to play the 'finger pipes' along to the music playing in the background.

There certainly wouldn't be a show without the crowd, and by the end pretty much all of us have been patted on the head by a tiny hand or had to kiss a plastic duck.

Currie is bossy, domineering, leery but somehow endearing. Though he doesn't restrict himself to being entirely silent, he can an express scorn simply with a raise of an eyebrow or snarling and following it with a toss of his mane. There was a particularly fine moment in this show where he simply tells two girls in the audience who are chatting (hard to believe anyone would dare) to get out, then to fuck off.

It's a shambling tour-de-force of a show as Currie gets increasingly sweaty, charging about the place leaping from one mad idea to the next.

The fellas in the crowd come off the worst from the audience participation. They get interfered with in a manner which looks a bit Operation Yewtree, and one poor guy looks pretty vulnerable when asked to remove his T-shirt.

The highlight here is undoubtedly Kermit putting his green froggy moves on a pineapple (whatever would Miss Piggy say?) –  and who knew he had a voice like Andy Williams.

All good, riotous fun.

Review date: 20 Aug 2014
Reviewed by: Marissa Burgess
Reviewed at: The Hive

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