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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Pnethor, pne-online.com
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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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XPIJONpsY, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Bosco239, youtube
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Idrie, Youtube
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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World Without End, Twitter
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Dan McCaid, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Zoot Cadillac, Twitter
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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John Robins, Comedian
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Herald Scotland.
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Stuart, Chortle
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Brighton Argus
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Spursguy, Youtube
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Jamespearse, Twitter