There comes a point when life imitates art and it can become hard to separate the two. In the case of DJ Danny, it is impossible to tell if he is actually a sixth form teacher that dreams of being a superstar DJ or simply a very good actor. After all, he displays all the hallmarks of your typical down-with-the-kids teacher – extraordinarily high energy, boundless enthusiasm and the ability to make any street lingo sound terminally uncool. Couple this with his uncanny ability to lead a slightly squiffy audience through his seven-step plan to Superstar DJ status and the line is blurred even further.
On the face of it, DJ Danny could go horribly wrong, as the reliance on the audience to participate is huge, but Danny’s exuberant passion and charming persona make it easy for him to lead the assembled ‘students’ down the path to beat-matching enlightenment. In fact, the process of going through is most enjoyable and you would have to be the grumpiest person in Edinburgh not to warm to this kind of silliness and join in on the fun.
At times the presentation is slightly scatty but this does remains consistent with the image of a young, enthusiastic teacher who can’t quite control his class and, as such, doesn’t detract from the overall feel. At times it actually adds to it, as the injection of Danny’s stock “Crikey!” when something goes awry compounds the teacher image nicely.
Overall, DJ Danny is a lot of fun, especially when the rest of the crowd are ‘mad ferrit’, It’s not the most cerebral comedy on this year’s circuit but it is an absolute hoot, so grab a beer and join in.
4/5
Richard Biggs
