Edinburgh is famous for its history and its comedy; Elizabeth and Raleigh provides both in a medley of cross-dressing, singing, and slideshows. At first we are welcomed by Sir Walter Raleigh (Miles Jupp), promoter of those two bastions of civilization; the potato and smoking. Raleigh’s opening monologue provides a brief overview of personal triumphs (through that quintessentially medieval medium of slideshow) and his plan to woo the ‘virgin’ queen and gain her hand in marriage. This falters at times and Jupp’s failed attempts at razor sharp delivery have little to fall back on in what amounts to a performance lacking energy and vivacity.
However Elizabeth (Simon Munnery) enters and the pace swiftly picks up, any member of the audience not from Englandshire being verbally attacked in the process. ‘To the Italians I say this: Rome wasn’t built in a day; it could have been if you talked less with your arms.’ Funny at first, this predictable stereotyping soon becomes tired and strikes of a laziness in the writing. Indeed much of the play conjures up images of a public school-boy humour complete with the cross dressing, crude sexual jokes and xenophobia mixed in with glimmers of wit and intelligence. The cavorting tone is also severed by an ending which becomes bizarrely serious. Surely this isn’t actually meant to be a comment on Elizabeth’s failure to conceive a child? The audience are thus left to file out baffled in what amounts to a very mediocre performance.
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A D Ward, Twitter
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Idrie, Youtube
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Stuart, Chortle
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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John Robins, Comedian
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World Without End, Twitter
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Foxfoxton, Youtube