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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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Idrie, Youtube
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Brighton Argus
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Guest1001, Youtube
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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John Robins, Comedian
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Stuart, Chortle
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries