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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Dick Socrates, Twitter
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Guest1001, Youtube
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Stuart, Chortle
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Idrie, Youtube
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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World Without End, Twitter
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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John Robins, Comedian
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com