Etcetera Theatre, London
**
From the creator of Geekatorium comes a brand new
solo comedy show from spook-seeker Paul Gannon. An avid Ghostbusters fan from a young age, Gannon recites a series of
endearing stories documenting his journey from child fanatic to full blown
adult geek in Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost. In a purely autobiographical
performance, Gannon is successful in holding the attention of his audience
(ghost believing or not) through charming tales of mishap and fright in his one-man
act.
As he makes his way to this years Edinburgh Fringe Festival,
Gannon has compiled a multi-disciplined show making use of his talents as a
stand-up and story-teller to present humorous anecdotes of his ghost-hunting
experiences. He includes stories of rumbled psychics, creepy accounts of
accidental live-recorded evidence and, naturally, a few misinterpreted
conclusions of simply bumping night-vision goggles with other estranged
enthusiasts in the dark underground pits that a committed ghost-hunter like
Gannon must frequently find himself in. Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost contains
an interesting presentation format, including a slide show of supposedly
haunted locations around the UK, some of which are in close proximity with
London, designed to spark the interest of a fan that perhaps hasn’t realised
their full fascination with the art of ghost hunting. As Gannon mentions, TV
sensations such as the reality documentary Most
Haunted, albeit their international popularity, have enabled a certain
stigma surrounding the paranormal, rendering it spoof-worthy and a prime target
for public mockery. Gannon plainly announces how ridiculous many of these
‘reality’ shows are but then honestly shrugs his shoulders underneath his
personalised boiler suit and admits “but I love them anyway!” It is this
personal awareness that carries the show, providing a comforting atmosphere to
laugh at your own geeky habits and admit to a room full of people: Yes, I am a
nerd about this.
Although his tales are interesting enough, the comedian does
not appear to trust their outcomes – usually skimming over the important punch
lines (crafted out of slick and frequent one-liners), causing some crucial
comic moments to be lost in a fumbled transition between stories. Furthermore,
a majority of the show’s humour is grounded on the audience having an equal
fascination, or at least common interest, in the subject matter of Ghost
geekiness, and unfortunately many of his jokes and quips rely heavily on
popular references to television’s Most
Haunted, Psychic & Science
and the Ghostbusters feature itself,
ultimately rendering a lot of the material redundant and, ironically,
alienating to those who are unfamiliar.
Gannon’s stage makes use of a projector screen to display
video clips and sound-bites, as well as a prop-bench to rest his numerous
cherished ghost-hunting related items, many of which, he is proud to tell us,
are collectible novelties. For the most part, the filmic additions complimented
the show, especially a heart-warming video at the end of Gannon visiting the
famous fire station in New York from the Ghostbusters film, claiming it to be his
‘Mecca ’. This
uniting moment between Gannon and his audience came a little too late in the
performance however; although the audience are on his side, they remain
slightly restless throughout.
The vast amount of material this comedian has collected over
the past two years of fulfilling his dreams as a thrill-seeking, ghoul chasing
‘buster is far too much for the allotted 50 minutes and there were sections
(including an anticipated co-written song with Sigourney Weaver) which were
missed due to timings. Nevertheless the audience were engaged throughout the
show, and Gannon’s friendly, open mannerisms held the room for a highly
personal and pleasantly original comedy show.
This production was part of the PNPA festival which runs throughout January.
For more information: http://www.etceteratheatre.com/index.php?id=2
@EtceteraTheatre
No comments:
Post a Comment