Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2004

Harry and Me
Metro Gilded Balloon Teviot

Tom Ogg

Robin Deacon tells us about his past where he may, or may not have been planted in his school choir for the cameras in order to feign diversity when Harry Seacombe came to Bedford to film his religous television programme Highway.

It is, as Deacon put it, 'a satirical story of political correctness gone wrong'. It isn't that funny and it doesn't say much about political correctness. Clearly a lot of work went into stretching this childhood anecdote into an hour long talk, and even more work on trying to sound like a presenter from Blue Peter.

A projector is used extensively to show his detailed research into the event, newspaper articles and all. When he is talking to the audience, Deacon often seems as if he is about to go on an outraged rant. He feigns difficulty with what to
say next, pauses, then occasionally shouts for effect. He does hold the audience well, if without reason, and he attempts to challenge the audience, but never produces anything of substance.

When asked about the reasoning behind the show, he speaks only of an interest with his own past, not of any meaning or significance of what he has experienced. The show is contrived and self-obsessed, with much squandered potential in an interesting area. This is a boring production which takes an anecdote too far, yet intellectually goes nowhere.

Till 30 August 2004