Atomic Saloon Show

• Donald Hutera
• 9 August 2019

This article is from 2019

Raunchy, Wild West-themed cabaret-style circus show

Sexy and funny – or, depending on your point of view, crude and silly – is a pretty unbeatable combination, in comedy director extraordinaire Cal McCrystal's outrageously raunchy cabaret/circus entertainment.

Think Fringe classic La Clique revamped by Mel Brooks, director of Blazing Saddles, and you'll have some idea of what's in store.

McCrystal's predilection for naughty-minded, potty-mouthed humour is deployed full-throttle by a top-notch cast, headed by the eye-wettingly hilarious Petra Massey (of Spymonkey fame), as a smoking-crotched Madam cum compere. From Colin Cahill's dopey singing cowboy, and the sensationally fast and precise Irish dance and hand tap duo Peter Harding and Suzanne Cleary, to the delicious ping pong juggler known as Fofo as an unforgettable nun with balls, everyone in this ensemble is having a helluva good time sending themselves and the whole enterprise up.

That includes dazzling circus performers like the awesomely built hand balancer Pavel Stankvich, or zesty pole artiste Alina Shpynova. On press night, maybe some throwaway gags didn't quite land, and the brawling line dance finale still needed finessing, but already the goofy, sex-positive spirit of McCrystal's Vegas-bound joke-fest felt fully formed. In short, this show is a total blast. Yee-haw!

Assembly George Square Gardens, until 25 Aug, 10.10pm, £16–£17 (£15–£18).