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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Meninblack, Twitter
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Zoot Cadillac, Twitter
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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John Robins, Comedian
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Bosco239, youtube
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Brighton Argus
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Dan McCaid, Twitter
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Microcuts 22, Twitter