If your show is powered by unashamed exhibitionism and unapologetic silliness, you'd better be all in. Garry Starr is certainly that and, considering how little clothing he wears throughout the course of this show, all out too.
In Greece Lightning, Starr (the stage name of Damien Warren-Smith) runs the gamut of Greek mythology with clowning of the highest order, cerebral enough for those steeped in the stories but entirely accessible to everyone else.
His superpower is his sincerity, delivering aren’t-I-clever wordplay about the classics while flexing a remarkable physique yet somehow keeping the crowd on his side throughout. His vulnerability and inimitable oddness add delight when playing lascivious characters.
It also makes one wonder why he feels the need to employ babytalk and malapropisms while loosely framing the show as his effort to get people to visit ‘Greek’ as it struggles with its
"ergonomic progression", a bum note in an otherwise sharply written hour.
Wordplay plays a significant role, and Starr has the charm and energy to make even groan-worthy gear worthwhile while also nailing some vaudeville ‘who’s on first?’-type material. The show moves at a cracking pace too, with some sketches blink-and-you’ll-miss-them or entirely - and impressively - physical.
Props are handed out early in the piece and there is quite a bit of audience interaction, but all are relatively gentle and in good fun. If you’re in any way amenable to this type of idiocy you’ll have little to fear, and all participants were admirably game and seemed to enjoy themselves.
It’s somewhat unfortunate that this is playing in an airy tent at 6pm when it has been such a success in more intimate late-night venues through other festivals, but to Starr’s credit, he transcends the venue’s limitations and keeps energy levels high throughout a raucous and undeniable hour.
A show-off to be sure, but what a show.