Somewhat of a stranger to the Fringe in recent years, Phill Jupitus delights viewers this year with not one, but two shows. Perhaps best known for his role as team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, the corpulent jester has surprisingly chosen to focus his attention on the literary classics.
In ‘Waiting For Alice’, Jupitus and Andre Vincent play Tweedledum and Tweedledee who are trapped inside Lewis Carroll’s story of Alice in Wonderland. 68 years have passed without a reader and the two characters have become increasingly bitter and frustrated as they wait for their fictional lead so the tale may progress.
In this, his first play as either writer or actor, Jupitus succeeds in providing a witty and well-performed piece, though it seems rather ill categorised in the ‘Comedy’ portion of the Fringe. Whilst a few jokes will inspire a chuckle or two, it is rarely laugh-out-loud funny, which may come as rather a surprise to some.
Waiting For Alice is certainly not a showcase for the acerbic wit of either performer, but it is well-scripted and excellently performed, even more so when you bear in mind that the pair switch characters each evening.
3/5
Rebecca Isherwood
