Review by Steve Bennett

Lee Griffiths’s solo debut couldn’t be further from his high-octane performances as part of the frenetic and filthy Late Night Gimp Fight. He even wears a cardigan on stage, for God’s sake…

The delivery, too, is soft-spoken, low-energy and measured. You would hardly believe this is the same guy who confesses to being the most outrageous one in his troupe, alway the first to get his dick out and described by the Guardian as ‘the smiling face of sexual assault’.

This is his attempt to delve into his background to discover what made him such an exhibitionist. And if if it’s down to unusual family history, he might not have to look far. His parents have long divorced and found new men in their life. Yes, even his father – although Griffiths was remarkably slow on the uptake when it came to realising that dad’s new ‘flatmate’ was more than just a friend.

Other formative experiences include his mum’s rather unusual part-time job, and an encounter with a short, fat, bald man in naked Budapest spa. It’s certainly a unique backstory.

The show – part storytelling, part Freudian therapy – is warm, interesting, intimate and engaging… but only mildly amusing; like an early draft that needs to be punched up with more gags.

The story of his dad’s new relationship, for example, is illustrated by an educational book for kids in the same situation, Daddy’s Roommate. There are a couple of mid-level gags in there, but Griffiths goes through every page, making wry or sarcastic comments on every illustration, and it just doesn’t contain that much comedy. Even beforehand, he flashes up the titles of some similar books… but then produces them, too. One or the other is redundant.

With such a low-key delivery, content is king, but his writing too verbose, the focus too broad, to properly do justice to what are otherwise excellent tales that stick in the mind. Perhaps the man behind the gimp mask needs more practice as a stand-up before tackling this, as it feels like he’s wasted his best stories on an inexpert show.

If the hugely likeable Griffiths is doing ten minutes at a storytelling night, it’d definitely be worth seeing, but doing 60 without his fellow Gimps is a stretch too far.

Review date: 9 Aug 2014
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Pleasance Courtyard