Marek Larwood: Typecast, Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh
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Your support makes all the difference.“I’m sick of playing people who have been hit by spades”, laments Marek Larwood in his debut solo show. It’s not clear whether he is offering this slapstick stereotyping as a reason for his permanently startled expression, but there’s little doubt that the 36-year-old has a face for comedy.
Once part of the seminal sketch threesome We Are Klang, with Greg Davies (subsequently of ‘The Inbetweeners’ fame) and Steve Hall, Larwood is the last of the three to strike out on his own. Well almost on his own, Sophie Black (ex of sketch outfit Fat Tongue, the pre-cursor to Cardinal Burns) is on hand to play his long-suffering sidekick.
Larwood needs Black’s help in his bid to avoid being typecast, and sets out to extend his range. His first ploy is to attempt a period drama (“essentially a drama that is on on Sunday nights”) where he adopts various cod accents. The silliness continues with a Steven Seagal kit to help with his facial expressions.
Larwood gets in pot-shots on the formulaic nature of stand-up and the competitive nature of panel shows in this industry-based, but also very accessible show. It’s a rather steady affair, with the crazed pitch set to around 6 rather than the 11 we were used to with Klang, but five years after Klang’s last show it’s good to see that its anarchic spirit lives on.
Til 26 August, 0131 556 6550
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