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ED2023 Comedy Reviews ED2023 Reviews
Healing King Herod (Riss Obolensky And Eloïse Poulton)
By Louise Jones | Published on Friday 25 August 2023
King Herod (yes, that one) says his slaughtering days are behind him. He’s a new man now, showing off his self-improvement programme. Riss Oblonsky plays the king as a walking humblebrag, an infinitely watchable performance. The show is chock-a-block with weaponised therapy speak: discussions of interacting with one’s inner child are juxtaposed deftly against horrific flashbacks. Oblonsky isn’t afraid of the darker elements of Herod’s psyche: we see the jumped-up monarch collapse into a desperate and wailing mess. There’s a lot of good-natured silliness which outweighs and smooths over some half-baked pre-recorded segments. Instead, the show is at its best when it’s tumbling around Oblonsky’s feet, allowing ridiculousness to morph into horror at the drop of a hat.
Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Louise Jones]
