Note: This review is from the 2012 Fringe

Comedy / 60 min / £13.50(£11), £12.50(£10) / 16+

Showing @ Pleasance Courtyard, 2-27 Aug (not 14), 21.40

If you have not yet caught The Boy With Tape on His Face, you may be wondering whether Sam Wills lives up to the hype. And the answer is: sort of. He is a hugely gifted performer – all staring eyes and expressive gestures. His ability to manipulate an audience and persuade strangers to do his bidding could form the basis of a fascinating sociological experiment. And much of the show is very funny. But one can’t help feeling the scenarios presented, though ingenious in their execution, are a little thin on substance. Gunfights, weddings, bullfights are surely all student improv-level fodder, and such an ingenious comic could be doing much more. Ticket sales don’t lie, however, and the consistent sell-out crowds attest to The Boy‘s popularity.