BEASTS present Mr Edinburgh 2016 at the Pleasance Dome

BEASTS is a high energy three-man sketch group and a regular act at the annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This year’s piece, BEASTS present Mr Edinburgh 2016, is a themed comedy show rather than a series of sketches. It’s aim: to crown a winner of the Mr Edinburgh title through various competitive rounds.

Comedians Owen Roberts, James McNicholas and Ciarán Dowd are both the judges and the contestants, each with a fervent desire to win the prestigious prizes: a shiny trophy and a magnum of ketchup.

To set the mood, the show kicks off by blasting out its first song: It’s Mr Edinburgh (“He’s cooler than freezers and kinder than Jesus”). The first round is “Who looks best in this jacket?”, in which the men take turns trying on a blazer and strutting about, before asking a random audience member who was the most dapper. Another round is mixed martial arts, another takes the form of Mastermind. It’s non-stop ridiculous fun.

There’s an undeniable professionalism to their chaos, however, with each member sporting a fully formed stage persona, perfectly choreographed to complement one another. McNicholas is a dead ringer in voice and looks for Alan Carr, and his highlight is his atrocious beat boxing attempts. The silliest of the three, Dowd, is brashly confident. His best bits include climbing through the audience in an arse-less leotard and staging a wedding with a woman in the front row. Roberts is the slightly straighter of the three and attempts to keep the other two in order.

The finale of the show is set in motion by spinning the ketchup bottle to decide on one of three alternative endings. This is an exuberant, fast-paced delight full of innovative humour and audience participation, and the chaps seem to enjoy themselves as much as the crowd.

Laura Foulger

BEASTS present Mr Edinburgh 2016 is on at the Pleasance Dome from 11^th until 28^th August 2016, for further information or to book visit here.

Watch the BEASTS being interviewed in 2013 here: