Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

It’s a gangster’s paradise in this one-man narrative sketch show from Ben Goldsmith, which is returning for a second full run this year after debuting in 2024. 

We are greeted by the first of a number of mob bosses – mob bosses who will prove largely interchangeable – as CrimeLandTown is a riff on Sinatra-era gangster tropes, with all the lounge singers and wise guys that entails. 

Our initial host is quickly shot dead (on the day of his daughter’s wedding, would you credit it), and the rest of the show is described as a whodunnit, although very little attention is paid to those elements of mystery or tension that might have given it some juice. By the time the puzzle is resolved at the end, you’ll likely have forgotten that this resolution was the nominal point of the exercise.

Goldsmith is a solid performer of characters, at his best when improvising with the audience, where he showcases tact and a quick wit. 

It’s too bad his characters don’t have more dimension. While they all exhibit a pleasant gregariousness, they each have a definite limit on their imaginative scope. The French heist-master is French, the gangsters are gangsters and so forth. Goldsmith’s busy script puts lots of jokes in their mouths, but nothing which helps them develop out of the standard template. I wouldn’t be surprised if Goldsmith has a background in improv, because these feel like improv characters: a functional combination of job and accent, assembled at speed.

An early example of this comedic underdevelopment is the heist undertaken by the French thief. His heist crew is composed of Dean Martin, Elvis and the guy from Spandau Ballet, each of whom are assigned catchphrases to repeat on command, which Goldsmith then works into the script. Always a fun trick when used well, but here it’s used, then overused, then run into the ground without ever finding a way to evolv. It takes up a lot of time in which the French guy could be becoming more fleshed out as a character.

 A couple of scenes later, the same thing happens again with a meeting of gangsters who are named after vowels. These ‘Who’s On First’ style linguistic routines are often amusing initially but can’t support the weight that Goldsmith places on them. The sense is of a performer who’s straitjacketed by a constrictive script that’s dense with gags and yet simultaneously underwritten.

It shouldn’t detract too much from a show who’s broad appeal and endearing sense of silliness will certainly show a few people a good time, yet it’s hard to get fully on board with a show that doesn’t seem to be taking you anywhere.

• Chortle’s coverage of sketch and multi-character acts at the Edinburgh Fringe is supported by (but not influenced by) the Seven Dials Playhouse. Read more

Review date: 2 Aug 2025
Reviewed by: Tim Harding
Reviewed at: Underbelly Bristo Square