| 15 August 2011
Alexis Dubus’s Gallic creation - bon-viveur raconteur Marcel Lucont - is back and ready to interrogate his guests for your délectation.
Marcel embodies that wonderfully French conceit to comic perfection. Without a flicker of hesitation he began the show by rebuking the lone gentleman who’d not clapped his entrance, forcing it to be done again and ‘properly zis time!’ His interviewing technique is equally ruthless as he adopts the carrot-and-stick method: he will ring one bell to reward sparkling conversation, and another to let his guest know he has lost all interest in them. Marcel will not suffer fools; as he reminds us, he is the one providing the ‘Marcel Lucont’ and his guest the ‘Etc.’
This chat-show production is as far from the mainstream as you can get, complete with readings from his work Manual for Sex Addicts: Thinking Outside the Box and his poem about erectile dysfunction entitled, ‘No Hard Feelings.’ His bizarre musings and acerbic wit are hilarious and refreshing fillers between guests.
The night I was there Marcel was unfortunate in his company, with Chris Martin failing to charm and Seymour Mace’s accent losing Lucont completely. While he is funny in his own right, Marcel doesn’t tease out the best in his guests, which makes for rather dreary interviews. Hopefully, with a fresh set of guests and more practice, things will improve.
Marcel Lucont Etc: A Chat Show, Cowgate @ Underbelly, 4-28 Aug (not 15), 9.20 pm
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
