Review by Steve Bennett

Forget carrying suitcases in strong winds or being trapped in invisible boxes, Billy The Mime has a more contemporary – and often more morbidly disturbing – approach to his artform.

Chapters re-enacted in silent whiteface include ‘a day called 9/11’, Whitney Houston’s last bath, Navy Seals vs Osama Bin Laden and the priest and the altar boy, which should provide a pretty good indicator of the (a)moral territory he covers.

If you recall him acting out the depraved joke in The Aristocrats movie, you will not be surprised to learn that he is mime’s version of the shock comic, with his inappropriate jet-back sensibilities. This is probably best displayed in his version of the Charles and Diana story, where he captures the Prince’s cold reaction to his wife’s depression and melodramatic cries for help with mordant wit.

However some of the pieces are straightforward retellings of the tragedies, with no humorous intent at all – making for probably the most depressingly voyeuristic comedy show on the Fringe. The poignant sight of a promiscuous gay man wasting away through Aids is hardly a chuckle-fest, unless you really are one sick punter.

Each scene is acted out with faultless timing, engaging personality and an elegant artistry in contrast to their often brutal subject matter. There’s no question that Billy is  a maestro of his work – obvious from the opening scene when he mimes a courtship and a sexual coupling with only his wondrously dexterous fingers. Talk about a great hand job…

Yet for all his shocking reputation, it’s the softer scenes that amuse the most. History of art is a romp through the ages involving a quickfire succession of witty sight gags, while The Clown And The Beautiful Woman is an almost traditional seduction of a (very game) victim from the audience to a jaunty mixtape, which could give The Boy With Tape On His Face a run for his money in the silent participation stakes.

Billy The Mime is certainly bringing something different and artful to the Fringe – which is where the different and artful belong – though he can’t always divine enough laughs from the bleak to make it wholly recommended as a straight-up comedy show.

Review date: 6 Aug 2012
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Just The Tonic at The Caves