ED2013 4/5 Reviews ED2013 Comedy Reviews

Mat Ricardo – Showman (Lee Martin For Gag Reflex)

By | Published on Sunday 4 August 2013

I’ll be straight with you: Mat Ricardo is a juggler. But I suppose if the show was entitled ‘Mat Ricardo: Juggler’ his potential audience would probably, unfortunately, shrink. But the witty, industrious Ricardo is a real showman: in that he’s one hell of a juggler and more besides. So skilled is he that it’ll explode your expectations; snooker cues and kitchen utensils are balanced in highly improbable positions, three whirring, dangerous electric knives are juggled deftly. Though the show’s biggest strength also highlights its main weakness. He spends much time deconstructing his art, and the ‘art’ of magic (he distinguishes the two), and while it’s clever and usually very funny (self-referential, reflexive gags abound), the ‘tricks’ are so good, a little less chat wouldn’t have hurt.

Pleasance Dome, until 25 Aug (not 12), 6.50pm.
tw rating 4/5 | [Arjun Sajip]

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