At the beginning of this tour we're on Lothian Street and Cuth when our guide boldly informs us that we are on Lothian Road. He proceeds to get just about everything else wrong too, which is to be expected from a spoof tour. The problem is that it's not very funny. As a member of a tour group you are part of the story, not just a silent outside observer, so it is difficult to laugh when you actually feel bad for a character who is in difficulty.
The characters are perhaps the best aspect of the production. Cuth (played by Tom Cranshaw) is desperate to be a tour guide, even though he has no aptitude for it, and he is seriously hung up on a girl called Ceilidh. His assistant, Tone (Scot Wilson-Besgrove), is a bit dim and keeps trying to frighten the audience as the least believable ghost in the world. Their nemesis is Guy di Tour (played by Yaz Al-Shaater), a successful guide who tries to sabotage Cuth's efforts, although it is never clear why given that he seems to be aware of how bad Cuth is at the job.
There are some good surprises and a few genuinely funny moments, but the company has also made some very puzzling choices, such as asking an audience member to read a part in a scene to demonstrate a particular historical incident. In a noisy street it’s difficult to hear someone who doesn't project his voice, and why would a random audience member bother? The result is frustration and indifference from most of the audience.
As a play this tour is not a success. The farcical elements carry on for so long that they stop being funny; the script doesn't go anywhere for quite a lot of the time; and it feels as if we're really lost when being we're supposed to be playing at being lost.
