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Boris & Sergey's One Man Extravaganza

Balkan brothers dish out the laughs in late night puppet show
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Boris & Sergey's One Man Extravaganza

Balkan brothers dish out the laughs in late night puppet show

Flabbergast Theatre and their leather marionette brothers Boris & Sergey return to the Fringe with their One Man Extravaganza. This time the comedy Balkan pair need to raise money to pay back a loan shark so Sergey decides to rig a game show, with Boris playing against a member of the audience. Their game show is delightfully madcap: full of complex rules, random cards and silly sound effects.

It's a funny script throughout, with plenty of sibling patter but it's the puppeteers' clear talent for accents and improvisation that keeps the audience laughing. The puppets are expertly manipulated through slow motion fights and tap dance numbers, as well as in more subtle scenes. The symmetry of a down-and-out Sergey staring at his shadow in the water is beautiful, then quickly subverted into a gag.

It's a little too long towards the end and the villain of the piece seems a bit tacked on and lacking a clear motivation. And though they are limited by the number of puppeteers required – with three needed for one puppet to be standing and talking – this is put to excellent comic purposes for the climax of the story.

Assembly George Square Theatre, 9.25pm, until 27 Aug (not 15), £10--£12.50.

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