Edinburgh 2002

Fringe

Last Call
Komedia Roman Eagle Lodge

Dolan Cummings

Last Call starts well.

Clearing up after a bar fight, Mick the barman introduces himself and then his regulars, lifting their rigid, inanimate bodies onto the set, and installing them in their customary places before bringing them to life.

Later, Mick is able to freeze time and pour out his patrons drinks to speed things up. The manipulation continues even when the punters are in control of their faculties, as Mick plays them off against one another for his own selfish ends.

The dark undercurrents don’t prevent a steady stream of pub humour and the odd decent joke. Apart from a faintly disastrous musical number, Last Call is a likeable show, and there are certainly some good ideas here.

Unfortunately, Mick himself is the only character with any depth, and the play never really achieves its early promise. Still, it might be worth looking out for a sequel. Lock in, anyone?

Until August 25: 14.55 (1hr 10mins)