Showing @ Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh until Mon 26 Aug @14:25
If you want to learn about science…perhaps this isn’t the show for you. But for some pleasing laughs and the slightest of dents in your thinking cap, this show offers cabaret style comedy in the refreshing guise of a lecture by Einstein himself. We see a legend of science re-enact his most famous theorems through prose, rap, song and clouds of talc. John Hinton conveys a panoramic vision of Einstein’s life, with tidbits of trivia. We’re taken through the most historic moments: the decision to leave Germany, to write to Franklin, and a tender response to the atomic bomb – a technology he hatefully and unwittingly helped to create.
While at times tooth-gnashingly university level in overly stylised characterisation and poorly hewn props, there exists true chemistry in Hinton’s performance. He’s incredibly likeable with a relaxed and nonchalant comedic charm. His show however, suffers from too much quality material, that can’t all be digested at such pace. Live music in the form a piano playing wife adds a music-hall touch, while the original compositions are at times, approaching the genius of it’s subject. A promising offering and a real refresher at the Fringe but perhaps a touch more edit and finesse would bring out the shine in this rough-cut gem.