The word ‘legend’ is bandied about a bit too much these days. Like ‘genius’, or ‘barista’. But if there’s one man on the cabaret circuit who deserves that status, it’s Mat Ricardo. Adored by audiences, worshipped by performers, and with a trophy cabinet to rival Manchester United in the 90s, Mat is a genuine treat who never fails to astound. Starting his Varieties show halfway through the Fringe due to being predisposed with America’s Got Talent, the one-man variety machine hosts, with three regular guests and one rotating slot for headline acts.
A strong contender for the most talented man in this festival
First and foremost, Ricardo is a juggler. Don’t be put off though. He is one hell of a juggler. What that man can’t do with a bunch of balls in his hand is not worth doing, and he has the power to make a roomful of people fall in love with an artform that they may have never considered seeking out before. But he is so much more. The range of daredevil stunts and displays of muscle memory and dextrousness simply must be beheld to be believed. At one point, you can hear a pin drop through the bated breath of those watching his fabled “knife game”.
After a lifetime as a street performer, Ricardo is unphasable, with witty retorts to any audience response, or lack thereof. He generates laughs at every cue, pretends he doubts his own expertise before proclaiming “I am, in fact, very, very talented!” – a statement only a madman could doubt. As a compère, he is sublime; his every line, movement and pause is meticulous and deliberate, and every act is suitably built up, walking on to a warm reception.
The first of the regular co-stars is Snookie Mono, a spangly gold-suited sword swallower with perfect suspenseful choreography. Next up is the Fringe’s premier nerd Tom Crosbie, a truly unique act who is one of the festival’s bigger success stories of recent years. If you’ve never heard genuine gasps at someone manipulating a Rubik’s Cube, you’ve yet to see Tom Crosbie. The final regular is 2018 Best New Act AND Best Old Comedian winner (go figure), Ada Campe. She walks on stage exuding ‘cabaret’ and charms the audience with balloon-based comedy and storytelling. Popular as she was, Ada is perhaps on stage a bit too long, at the expense of an extra display of skill from Ricardo.
The list of headline acts brought in for one night only reads like a who’s who of the cabaret programme this year, including Ben Hart, Colin Cloud and Frisky & Mannish. Tonight it was the highly polished mentalist Luke Jermay, who delivered an intriguing set full of manipulation and intuition to an astonished crowd.
Mat Ricardo's Varieties delivers everything one would hope from a variety show. As a compère and variety act, Ricardo is second to none. It is a shame that, with his myriad of remarkable skills, he only spends a third of the time on stage, but there is never a dull moment. If you want to see a strong contender for the most talented man in this festival, ably assisted by a stellar supporting cast, look no further than this extravaganza.
