Review by Corry Shaw

Puppetry of the Penis have a long tradition (don't excuse the pun) at the Edinburgh Fringe. The first year they performed here – 2000 – I wrote a four-star review about them bringing something fresh, fun and ridiculous to the festival. Eleven years later and it is essentially the exact same show, which sadly means it is no longer fresh and fun, it's just ridiculous.

Back in the Noughties there was still an element of naughtiness to performing naked. But there have been so many naked appearances from even the top names on the Fringe that you have to do more than stretch your cock into an interesting (yet mainly still cock-shaped) shape to win over an audience on audacity alone.

To be fair, the Puppetry of the Penis guys have flung some serious money at the gimmick to set it apart from all previous years’ offerings, with some very impressive CGI and 3D tricks on a big screen, bringing the cock closer to the crowd than ever before. It is an incredibly clever technical set-up and the CGI artists and software developer who designed it have earned the boys an extra star for what was otherwise a very flaccid show.

I only spotted two new 'dick tricks' since the last time I saw this show and the performance has turned as mechanical as their projector. Who'd have thought genital origami would seem so passe, but two men going through the motions just to get to the climax as quickly and as easily as possible is never going to be all that high on a woman's wish list.

It's really sad. The passion for performance and the pride in the penis has been lost. It's all about the marketing and merchandise. The only thing that made more appearances than the bad dick puns was the website address.

Even the few screeching female parties that were in the crowd tonight seemed to lose interest, and one of the groups had to be hushed by an usher for chatting throughout the show. Several people walked out and a woman in front of me spent the last 15 minutes playing Angry Birds on her iPhone, I'd cue the inevitable room full of Angry Birds gag but there didn't seem to be much anger, just apathy. This was made all the more ironic as the performers started selling their smart phone app in their merchandise pitch when she was halfway through her game.

A decade ago it was hard to get a ticket for this schlong show, tonight the theatre was barely half full and even emptier by the end of the hour. Even the most impressive technical wizardry hasn't re-energised this once must-see experience. Maybe it is time for the Penises to take their final bow and fold themselves up for retirement.

Review date: 14 Aug 2011
Reviewed by: Corry Shaw