Viggo The Viking: Completely nuts - and wonderfully funny

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Viggo The Viking *** (Underbelly, Cowgate), 8:20pm until August 25
Not entire sure how to explain this hour of mime that’s packed with dialogue featuring a Norwegian stand-up dressed as a Viking.

It’s completely nuts - and also wonderfully funny.

Viggo Venn’s humour has a childlike appeal, and warmth at its core - and that’s why he gets the best out of his audience participation.

He chases each latecomer round the theatre - I say theatre, but this is a stone cave cut deep in the Cowgate -  and does it repeatedly until everyone is seated.

He then draws childlike pictures of them on the cheapest DIY whiteboard you’ll see,  gets them to do bird whistles to accompany his imaginary feathered friend, and then, halfway, through his allotted time, begins his story … which is, well  I’ve no idea where to begin with an explanation.

This show relies heavily on the audience to be willing to go with the flow.

If it does - and on the night we saw him, he struck comedy gold - Venn’s charm does the rest, and he  will create laughter galore armed with nothing more than two black chairs on an empty stage and an imagination that is packed with daftness.

Afterwards he’ll shake your hand and give you a hug.


What more can you ask

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