George Egg has twenty years experience on the comedy circuit. This means two things; he is an adept and skilful comedian, and he has spent a lot of time in budget hotels. As a budding cook and food enthusiast, the cold sandwiches and overpriced room service seem to have taken their toll on him, because he has devised a number of incredible systems to rustle up a three course gourmet meal - not only dealing with the restrictions of a sparsely-furnished hotel room, but keeping to a strict one hour time-limit for all preparation and process.
There is never a dull moment in this high-energy, unique race against time
Irons become hotplates, a Corby trouser press finds new life as a toaster, and the tiny kettle - coupled with some inventive coathanger sculpture - opens up a whole new world of possibilities. But it's not just the devices that are re-invented in the faux hotel room Egg has constructed for himself on stage, many of the ingredients can be found there too. Armed with nothing but a pile of tiny UHT milk pots and a couple of sachets of vinegar, Egg teaches us how to make our own homemade ricotta, and tells of the (slightly less successful) time he constructed a tiramisu using nothing but the tea and coffee facilities.
As well as being an informative demonstration, this is, of course, a comedy show. Jokes and quips flow alongside the frantic cooking, and the few moments that Egg has between courses give room for more substantial material. As well as all of this there are hilarious video segments, suggestions for food-based practical jokes and a surprisingly dark sub-plot.
There is never a dull moment in this high-energy, unique race against time, but there are points where it seems there might be a little too much crammed into the show. The challenge of poaching a local sea bass whilst recounting an amusing anecdote means that Egg occasionally stumbles over his punchlines, and there are moments when he seems barely in control of the mayhem surrounding him, but this all adds to the anarchy promised by the title. This show is half belly-laughs and half belly-rumbles, and as you begin to file hungrily out of the venue, with the smell of fresh pancakes wafting after you, you'll be pleased to know that all the food prepared during the hour is available for the audience to sample.
