EDINBURGH 2026: Review: GARRY STARR: CLASSIC PENGUINS, Pleasance Courtyard, The Grand

The enormous Grand stage at Pleasance Courtyard features a treasure chest, a bookcase and centre stage, facing away from the crowd, a figure sits comfortably in a leather chair, seemingly relaxed, gently puffing away on a pipe and awaiting the moment to begin. Then the lights go up, the chair rotates, and the show starts as it means to go on.

Damien Warren Smith, in the renowned role of Garry Starr, immediately takes the opportunity to bare all, and by bare all, I mean bare all literally and embark on the a madcap rendition of every classic Penguin book ever written. It is quite the entrance and an immediate indication of the anarchic chaos which is about to unfold.

About 50 books are dispatched across the hour. Suffice to say, the material is enough to fill two bookshelves, with some novels afforded a couple of minutes while others are rattled through in a rapid fire succession of increasingly ridiculous and ingenious jokes. Starr joyously throws everything at the audience, never quite allowing them enough time to catch their breath, before the next literary victim is pulled from the shelf.

It is a genius concept on which to hang a show. Such rich and well known material means even a layman will have a general idea of the content, while even when that fails, the very title of the book usually says enough. 'Holding the Man' by Timonthy Conigrave, for example, may not have been read by everyone, but Starr takes the title and runs with it in the most hilarious way, recruiting two audience members to build the support.

The brilliance of Classic Penguins is not simply in the jokes, however. The show depends upon a willing and enthusiastic crowd, plus something about seeing a naked man lead proceedings from start to finish seems to inspire utterly wild levels of exhibitionist behaviour from the audience. After all, even if Starr pulls someone up on stage, surely they are not going to end up in a more scandalous position than the nude man who is running the show.

As described in the show literature, this is ultimately a clowning show. It requires great prop work, consistent check ins with the audience and an infectious playfulness from Starr which inspires the crowd to become the best improvisation partner possible by simply beginning to say yes to everything. The audience is not merely watching the chaos unfold, it is actively helping to keep up the energy.

This is perhaps the most impressive feat of all. The charisma required to get 800 people on side, in bravery and collectivism is jaw dropping and utterly led by the spontaneous and charismatic front man. Starr has an extraordinary ability to make an enormous room feel like an opportunity, where everyone is invited to abandon their inhibitions and embrace the ridiculous.

There is a glorious simplicity to the set up, but underneath it sits an exceptionally accomplished performer who understands exactly how to keep a room buoyant. Every gesture, prop, pause and audience interaction feels designed to keep the momentum moving, while the unpredictability ensures nobody quite knows what is coming next.

Garry Starr: Classic Penguins is anarchic, outrageous and relentlessly silly, but it is also remarkably clever. It takes some of the world’s best known literature, strips away any reverence and gleefully tears through it with the enthusiasm of a performer who has absolutely no intention of behaving traditionally.

Classic Penguins is clowning at its most gloriously unhinged, by celebrating literature in the most vibrant and unorthodox way possible. Memorable, epic and unforgettable, this show is the very best of the Fringe. Garry Starr: Classic Penguins is addictive chaos, which leaves its audience laughing, liberated and wondering quite how they became part of the show.

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