@ Underbelly Med Quad, Edinburgh, until Mon 31 Aug @ 17:15
YouTube sensation American Jon Cozart, also know as Paint, brings this slick multimedia production of singing and videos to the Edinburgh Fringe. An internet phenomenon, he’s an affable 20 something, who only graduated from college with a film major a month before arriving in Edinburgh, and the UK, for the first time.
Cozart made his name through his online videos that have gone viral. His first hit was Harry Potter In 99 Seconds, but his most popular to date is his take on the Disney Princesses and their life After Ever After, which has received 50 million plus views.
The studio is just four screens, one keyboard, a series of flashcards and Cozart with a mic. During the hour, he takes us on a musical journey charting his rise to internet fame over the last decade with raucously funny songs including Progressive Christmas Carols, Mr Wells You’re Getting Old and a Boy Band parody.
A natural storyteller, Cozart has a voice to die for, singing in the style of pop a capella, similar to The Magnets mixed with Glee. He totally engages with the audience, coming off script to berate a member whose phone not only goes off but who had also come in late, yet it’s done with light-hearted humour and a twinkle in his eye. The audience also get to ask him burning questions at the end, where he shares his youthful but genuine knowledge.
Great entertainment, a wonderfully engaging performer, funny, enlightening and pure genius, this guy has already reached great heights (and wealth) some of us can only aspire to.