This year Basil Brush is celebrating 60 years in entertainment. We all know and love the posh fox and whatever age you may be, you have probably watched him on TV. Which is why the packed-out Debating Hall at the Gilded Balloon was filled with such a diverse range of ages.
Basil Brush: Unleashed… And Uncut begins a video of Basil having tea with the Queen, which is amusing. He then comes on stage with Mr Martin, the audience (me included) are so excited to see Basil live, and that part at least lives up to my expectations. Basil’s puppeteer Michael Windsor is incredible – Basil’s words are not just delivered we get expression and movement from him too. So much so, you could almost believe he’s real.
The special guest on this occasion is Magical Bones, the breakdancing magician – who performs a great trick, and probably sells his tickets to a few audience members in the process.
This is the Fringe, so there is of course some audience participation. Two members of the audience come onstage and as Basil reads ‘Fifty Shades of Sue Gray’, the two provide sound effects. There’s then some karaoke which is fun. Oh, and cameos from Sooty and Sweep.
It’s an enjoyable show, but I wanted more. With the guests and audience members incorporated, I felt as though I wanted more of the Fox himself. Also, for a show that names itself ‘unleashed’ it felt rather tame. I think the dial needs to be turned up a few notches.
But it is still a great show to get you warmed up for an evening of theatre or comedy at the Fringe. Basil is especially funny whenever he breaks the fourth wall and tells the audience that there is a strange man under his desk. There’s a beautiful tribute at the end to all the presenters Basil has worked with, and the show really does prove why Basil is timeless.
{🎟 AD: PR Invite – Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review}
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