Twonkey's Mumbo Jumbo Hotel

In a tiny room at Sweet Grassmarket a man has placed a wide array of props, toys, figurines, dolls and detritus in an apparently haphazard way. Mr Twonkey, also known as Paul Vickers, welcomes his tiny audience before using all of his assorted trinkets to tell the tale of the Mumbo Jumbo Hotel, its denizens and the shenanigans that may or may not lead to its demolishing and the creation of a retail park that features a Frankie & Benny’s. He also takes a break to tell us about our own sexual history, using his psychic ship’s wheel of knickers (exactly what it sounds like): a ship’s wheel, hung with knickers (mostly lacey) to help Vickers to psychically divine your past sexual encounters. It’s bizarre and brilliant.

just about the most confusing piece of theatre cabaret I’ve ever seen

If you’re confused by that first paragraph, well you should be. Twonkey’s Mumbo Jumbo Hotel is about the most confusing piece of theatre cabaret I’ve ever seen - and I’ve seen Vickers’ previous Fringe shows. Songs and monologues segue into each other as Vickers attempts to operate lights, music cues and locate lost or knocked over props. At one point, he has to take a few moments out to disentangle a large prop from the mic stand but only manages to attach it to the lowest button of his jacket and is forced to wear it for the next few minutes of the show until he can find an appropriate moment to detach himself.

The thing is; it’s brilliant. Vickers has created a bonkers world that, if you’re in on the joke with him, is consistently laugh out loud funny. He’s the master of bizarre asides and surreal set ups that sometimes lead to a place that only Vickers understands. Twonkey makes The Mighty Boosh look like Bob Monkhouse.