Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

This could be an introvert’s worst nightmare… and, personally, not my first choice for a fun time. Dusty Creases presents an hour heavy on physical participation in which you’re asked to jump to your feet every few minutes to join in the daft moves the dance teacher character just demonstrated. A few punters are also dragged (or willingly leap) on stage to do it in front of the whole class. Shudder.

In fairness, most of the crowd were into it. Possibly too into it – that the people in one row were later identified as having a Fringe show of their own came as no surprise – with whoops and hollers greeting some of Ms Creases’ more energetic exertions.

There was also enthusiastic buy-in for the central conceit, so hammily over-egged with tongue firmly in cheek, that our hyperactive American tutor is not the same person as Tara Boland, the meek stagehand and real name of the Lecoq-trained clown behind the persona. 

As Creases, she enjoys creating close-quarters discomfort and is a queen of super-intense eye contact, especially when instructing the audience to do something weird, such as ‘release the pelvis’. 

No performer would surely attempt a show like this without a strong physicality, and Boland certainly has that, with the weird interpretive dances allowing her to throw herself around the Pleasance bunker on the thinnest of excuses.

But when put in context of a more substantial idea, however absurd, her bizarrely exaggerated movements take on more rewarding purpose. Her demonstration of her fear of chairs is a top-flight slice of visual comedy, as is a brief dance she does only with her wildly expressive eyes, pressing pause on all the wild limb-flailing.

Her alter-ego, apparently inspired by Liza Minnelli’s chaotically confident energy, has some pleasingly absurd non-sequiturs and bonkers life advice. However, the watch-and-repeat format of the dances - usually involving the three key moves of banana, jellyfish and ‘show the grapes' becomes repetitive, so feels increasingly purposeless.

The show does have the sort of ‘live your dream’ message that performers, who have invested so much in doing just that, love to share. If your dream is of a quiet life, then maybe look elsewhere, but if you love audience participation, fill your (dancing) boots.

Review date: 1 Aug 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Pleasance Dome