[star rating = 4/5]
THE audience’s faces showed a mixture of confusion and excitement when they were given bingo sheets as they entered the venue for Gareth’s Gay Dating Disasters.
Bingo sheets soon make sense, as our host of the evening the positive and charismatic GARETH EDWARD walks on stage and explains we are going to actually play bingo to explore his part cabaret, part comedy, part spoken word LGBTQ themed show Gareth’s Gay Dating Disasters.
The overall premise of the show is centered around looking at various ways in which Gareth has been dumped throughout the years, with the answers written on plastic balls which the host draws out of the sack during bingo. As the audience score off the correct words written on lines (lines are described using gay sex position references) those who yell bingo win ‘prizes’ – which strangely enough consist of various items from Gareth’s previous relationships.
To spice up the show our host sings breakup songs. ABBA is of course included in his repertoire.
Although he delivers a strong performance throughout, whether that’s in the form of a song about catching chlamydia or gags about being dumped by a bear, Gareth’s singing is most definitely his greatest strength.
His act feels very different to any other standup or cabaret shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Be prepared to suffer a sufficient amount of the giggles, or even leave the show with a gift from one of Gareth’s ex boyfriends.
