Comedy review: Robert White: InstruMENTAL

Edinburgh Festival Fringe: There is a frantic nervous energy about Robert White, which can make him hard to watch at times.

Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14)

***

But in this autobiographical comic opera he lays bare the workings of his autistic brain – in a way which allows the audience to share his world.

The plot is a true story, which involves armed 
robbery, prison and coming out as gay – all told in ­rhyming couplets and accompanied by keyboard and sound effects.

Using a suitcase full of stuffed toys, a strait jacket and a trumpet, White careers through his tale, in a libretto full of television, movie and musical references.

The jokes are relentless, almost to a fault, and White carries us along with him, through this fantastical narrative, interpreted through his fantastical head.

Technical difficulties, which might be real or faked, add another layer to the ­performance and a further tricksiness to the script.

Eventually, through the medium of song, poetry, sound effects and trumpet White unravels the knots in his mind and moves towards acceptance. There is a real feeling of relief as you realise the circumstances of the story find a resolution.

If you want to see something brilliant, confusing and strange, you couldn’t do much better.

Until 27 August. Today 3:15pm.