As a long time fan of daytime cookery shows and comedy in general, the concept of George Egg’s show intrigued me from the get go. Banished from the kitchen by his wife, Egg has fled to the shed where he concocts culinary masterpieces using DIY tools and a fair amount of ingenuity. The coincidence of this show, supposedly set in Egg’s shed, being staged in a venue called ‘The Shed’ was not lost on Egg or the audience, leading to a few witty remarks off the cuff.
A perfect blend of stand-up, anecdotal comedy and highly experimental cookery, George Egg has the audience laughing and salivating at the same time.
Egg himself is an immensely likeable character. He does not need to be bursting at the seams with enthusiasm and energy to warm himself to the audience, his calm demeanour alongside excellent comic timing and delivery achieve this very well. Egg’s anecdotal approach to comedy works superbly alongside the cooking elements of the show as it allows him to provide entertainment even during sections which could be deemed slightly less entertaining to watch. Egg has also mastered the art of subtle physical comedy, indicating to the audience that he’s going to cook some interesting ingredient and then taking a moment to reveal the tool with which he’ll do it, leaving the audience reeling from this revelation.
By far the most entertaining sections of Egg’s performance are when he gets down to cooking. From steaming eggs using wallpaper strippers to grilling meat on the head of a shovel, Egg proves that he has ingenuity when it comes to cooking. What continues to be impressive is the care and attention he takes with meals and his aim not only to cook food in unusual ways, but to make that food incredibly tasty. From the frequent addition of seasoning, to the presentation and display to the audience, often met with applause, Egg shows real passion, and, having tasted some of the dishes after the show, I can safely say that they were delicious.
Egg’s performance isn’t entirely flawless. Faced with some logistical problems of the stage and audience depth, he often needs to speak into the microphone whilst moving around, causing some entanglements and breaks in the comedic flow. Also, whilst Egg’s material for the majority of the show is excellent, the final third proves slightly repetitive. All in all however, George Egg is a fantastic comedian and excellent entertainer, with a superb premise for a show, deftly executed, and if he were to open a restaurant-come-comedy club I would be the first in line.
