Brighton Fringe comedy review

The name’s Sandin, Carlos Sandin, and in Pull My Goldfinger, this Cuban-Russian performer acts out a teenage fantasy to be James Bond. However, this self-indulgent hour feels very much like it’s for his entertainment more than ours.

He starts naked, acting like an ape in a loose 2001:A Space Odyssey pastiche. Quite why is moot – and indeed is a question you never want to be asking at any point here. The scene shows off his considerable physical acting prowess – as well as his chiselled torso, which may be the more significant point – but it’s very much apropos of nothing.

He gets his kit off again later, after finally getting into 007 mode to recreate the torture scene from Casino Royale. It’s a moderately faithful reconstruction – aside from the fact Sandin plays both roles – so it’s hard to see the point.

Given there’s no attempt at a narrative beyond revisiting the set pieces that make a Bond film a Bond film, the feeling of futility keeps returning like a hard-to-kill henchman. He gets audience members involved in set pieces such as the gambling scene – a very simple card game – or mixing a martini, but everyone, Sandin included, just seems to be going through the motions.

As a graduate of SpyMonkey’s Clown Creation School, he’s a compelling performer, but the substance is lacking. He occasionally displays some creative flair – such as assembling a clarinet as if it’s a sniper’s rifle – but even this is a little laboured, taking too long.

Later, he uses the instrument for one of the oddest interludes of the hour: playing the Last Post in earnest and in full. There’s nothing like remembering the ultimate sacrifices of the war dead to generate chuckles…

Overall, Sandin seems to be having a whale of a time, but us? Not so much. Pull My Goldfinger feels too much like a performance showcase, not enough like a show that puts entertaining the audience at its heart.

Review date: 4 Jun 2024
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Brighton Caxton Arms