Andrew Doyle’s Crash Course in Depravity
Hairline
Margaret Cho
Edinburgh Reporter
ScotsGay Magazine
Latest 7
"Exceptionally well crafted... Doyle is a charming, engaging performer and, he assures us, not depraved at all. Mickey Mouse fans might disagree"
Kate Copstick, The Scotsman
To read full review click here
"We loved it. Our stomach muscles actually hurt from laughing so much. Nothing could have prepared us for this, in the best way possible"
Gay Times
To read full review click here
"You'll likely be shocked, possibly appalled and certainly very amused and entertained indeed. Doyle has written a show unconcerned with the public's perception of its taste and decency, but that's not to say he doesn't care what you think at all – he wants you to laugh, very hard, throughout. And he does a fantastic job of eliciting that response."
Metro
To read full review click here
"A full-on assault on the borders of taste"
Brian Donaldson, The List
To read full review click here
"I was really blown away by his writing and the skill of his delivery... I loved the show"
Margaret Cho
To read full review click here
"If you want to have a damn good laugh, by an up-and-coming star, you'll see few shows that deliver this often – and this well"
ScotsGay Magazine
To read full review click here
"A great night out... quick wit, sharp humour and seamless delivery!"
Latest 7
To read full review click here
"One heck of a good laugh"
Edinburgh Reporter
To read full review click here
"Crash Course in Depravity hearkens back to when Fringe shows were unique, fierce secret little pockets of joy and shock, laughter and desperation. Doyle holds nothing back, throwing his (or his character's) entire living sweating being into the gaping void of the audience's incredulity. It is the crossroads of Art, Comedy, Sleaze and Humanity"
Hairline
To read full review click here
Publication: The Scotsman
Author: Kate Copstick
Date of review: 11/08/11
It is lovely to see a well-crafted show and Andrew Doyle’s Crash Course In Depravity is exceptionally well-crafted.
Sandwiched between an unnatural act with a small pony and an unspeakable one with Mickey Mouse is a tight little ride through the great names of depraved behaviour - Marquis de Sade, Caligula and Terry Wogan, to name but three - along with family anecdotes, some general Catholicism, observations on the increasingly complicated world of online cruising and some genial chat with the front row.
Doyle is a charming, engaging performer and, he assures us, not depraved at all. Mickey Mouse fans might disagree. This is his first show and it presages well; the only real problem at this early performance was that Doyle doesn’t yet “own” the material. It feels scripted. But that will pass. And it is a properly thought-through show with form and focus (assets all too frequently found wanting in Edinburgh hours), a great wrap-up and much more warmth than one expects from depravity. Scott Capurro has had a hand in Andrew’s first outing, I hear. I am sure his experience has helped Andrew’s performance.
Publication: Gay Times
Author: Harry Clayton-Wright
Date of review: 08/08/11
This is a show that could polarise opinion a little and so here is ours: we loved it. Our stomach muscles actually hurt from laughing so much. Nothing could have prepared us for this, in the best way possible. The show explores what it is to be depraved, with the title coming from a recent description of Andrew’s stand-up. He’s super smart, incredibly funny and had us in the palm of his hand. We knew we loved it when in a show about depravity there was a reference to Bonnie Langford. Following this solo debut at the Fringe, we’re looking forward to seeing what Andrew will do next.
Publication: Metro
Author: Rob Lavender
Date of review: 18/08/11
Wicked way to set evil laughter loose
When an artist gets a bad review, they have a number of options. They can ignore it, or dismiss the critic’s opinion. They can sulk, mope and argue. They can take it as constructive criticism and aim to improve. Or perhaps they can simply embrace the harsh words fully.
Guess which option Andrew Doyle took when a reviewer, in a particularly scathing critique, described one of his performances as being a ‘crash-course in depravity’? That’s right, he took it as a compliment – and made a show out of it.
But then Doyle wouldn’t be overly concerned with getting bad reviews – he’s apparently fearless. He seems this way both as a comedian and as a human being. It is evident in his material and his performance style: he doesn’t compromise in either. His show at this year’s Fringe is not for the faint- hearted, and is strictly (and boy, do we mean strictly) for the over-18s.
It’s hard to explain what to expect without giving the game away, but suffice it to say you’ll likely be shocked, possibly appalled and certainly very amused and entertained indeed. Doyle has written a show unconcerned with the public’s perception of its taste and decency, but that’s not to say he doesn’t care what you think at all – he wants you to laugh, very hard, throughout. And he does a fantastic job of eliciting that response.
He starts the show by explaining, meekly, to his audience that ‘I don’t mean to be offensive’. As events progress, his plea becomes more desperate: ‘I’m not depraved!’ he yells. A case of protesting too much if ever there was one.
But how would you go about researching a show like this? Well, Doyle admits it took him to some pretty dark places, reading a number of tomes concerning depravity throughout the ages, on subjects ranging from the Marquis de Sade to the Vatican. But don’t expect a history lesson: this is fierce stand-up comedy and nothing else.
It’s directed by acclaimed US comic Scott Capurro, who won the Perrier Award For Best Newcomer back in 1994. And if you’re concerned about its pedigree, Capurro has previously described Doyle as being akin to ‘Gore Vidal in a confessional’.
It’s customary to end these features with a word on why you should see the show in question. In a break from the norm, let’s have a look at why you shouldn’t: if you’re under 18, easily offended, of a nervous disposition or maybe if you’re just plain old humourless, then steer clear.
But for everyone else? This is probably right up your street.
Publication: The List
Author: Brian Donaldson
Date of review: 14/08/11
A full-on assault on the borders of taste
Russell Kane has made a habit out of turning negative comments by reviewers into the show title for his subsequent Fringe show. Easy Cliché and Tired Stereotype and Gaping Flaws were both borne from lines penned by critics. Andrew Doyle has not only stolen a line from a bad review, but has grabbed it with both hands to form the basis for this show which explores the power of signs and icons and the various interpretations we place on imagery laid before us.
His Crash Course in Depravity is pretty much just that, aided (or led astray) by the directorial guidance of Scott Capurro who once likened Doyle to ‘Gore Vidal in a confessional’. Chances are the pair would have had a heated debate over the most controversial moment in Doyle’s show, a not-so fleeting glimpse into the kind of thing that used to get Moira Knox and her moral Edinburgh minority all enflamed. Usually this was due to Jim Rose sticking a nine-inch-nail into places that would seriously chafe a normal person, but Knox would have had a full-on conniption had she been present here.
It takes a strong stomach to prevent audience members from turning away (or fleeing the room) as Doyle takes the title of his show to new levels of bravery (or stupidity) with an act that was either brilliantly faked or fully justified the 18s only ruling for admittance. That moment aside, Doyle (who was once the comedy partner of Bridget Christie, their Axis of Evil playing the Underbelly in 2005), turns out to be a confrontational but largely genial host, flirting with and baiting the lads in the front row, while on screen, a blizzard of pornography has not long since faded out. His calmly apologetic plea that ‘I don’t mean to be offensive’ is later replaced by the primal howl of ‘I’m not depraved!’ Any shrinking violets looking on at that moment would probably disagree.
Publication: www.margaretcho.com
Author: Margaret Cho
Date of review: 12/08/11
Rating: «««««
I went to see this show because my friend Scott Capurro directed it and I just met Andrew who is very nice and also extremely handsome. I was really blown away by his writing and the skill of his delivery. It’s a study in what makes us depraved, the extreme nature of desire and how we will do things in the heat of the moment- driven by passion and lust – that we wouldn’t normally do. I think that’s such a provocative subject especially here – in the uk, where restraint is the name of the game. I loved the show and I really love Andrew. I think that you will be hearing from him a lot from now on!
Publication: ScotsGay Magazine
Author: Martin Walker
Date of review: 08/08/11
Rating: ««««
A reviewer previously described openly gay Andrew Doyle’s act as a crash course in depravity, with good reason on the basis of tonight. This is a bold, brash, confident hour by the solo stand-up Fringe newcomer. It’s not a set for everyone, but the show has ‘Depravity’ it the title – and you get what you pay for.
Doyle doesn’t just resort to shock tactics to entertain this capacity audience however, though shocks, there are a few. This is intelligent stuff as he exposes the absurdity of Catholicism, sex, racism and homophobia. He occasionally deconstructs his own work in the style of an angry, queer version of Stewart Lee, but also reminds one of Jim Jeffries or Brendon Burns. Scott Capurro’s influence as director is often apparent, though this is a very different show to his. However, like Capurro’s shows, if you do not want to take part, don’t sit in the first few rows.
On reflection, perhaps the point of the show is lost a little, as the more extreme physical elements inevitably linger longer in the memory. Doyle’s one of this country’s great comic wordsmiths, but here his actions are so much louder than his words. It seems churlish to be so picky about such a good, strong performance, but he is very close to producing a very rare five star stand up show – if he can get that balance right.
That said, if you want to have a damn good laugh, by an up-and-coming star, you’ll see few shows that deliver this often – and this well.
Publication: Latest 7 Magazine
Author: Carla Read
Date of review: 02/06/11
Rating: ««««
Considering it was a Monday night there was a reasonable turn out for Andrew Doyle’s (both enticingly and appropriately named) Crash Course In Depravity. The show was hilarious and this was solely down to Doyle’s quick wit, sharp humour and seamless delivery! Not at all unnerved by the audience, he had won them over within in minutes with his charm and confidence. Doyle delivered a refreshing, intelligent and very amusing performance that kept everyone in high sprits throughout the hour that he graced the stage! All in all, a great night out.
Publication: Edinburgh Reporter
Author: Thomas Haywood
Date of review: 16/08/11
Rating: ««««
Andrew Doyle’s show is one heck of a good laugh and in fact the reviewer’s jaw muscles felt well stretched for at least 2 hours after the show! The one-liners keep coming and he is quick witted with his audience interaction. The work is well structured with a lot of adult content so it is not a show for the easily offended.
Some of the material does sail close to the wind, but then any fearless comedian who did not do so with a subject like this would definitely not have so much material to use for a ‘depraved’ show.
If you feel naughty, this one is well worth it for you.
Publication: Hairline
Author: Zander Bruce
Date of review: 20/08/11
Rating: «««««
Unforgiving, uncompromising and unapologetic. Forget toilet humour – this is darkroom humour. Befitting, then, for the venue, which looks like a students union fetish club, or “Fritzl’s basement” according to Doyle.
The writing here is so intensely sharp and clever that most of it goes completely over the heads of the majority of the audience. Oh, to have been privy to the rehearsal discussions between Doyle and director Scott Capurro (Fringe stalwart and pioneering gay stand-up) as they concocted this bacchanalian feast of sumptuously inappropriate ribaldry.
This isn’t just filth for its own sake and it doesn’t feel like a contrived list of vulgarities strewn together for mere shock value. It is an alternative viewpoint of our world of celebrity, media and false morality – albeit one from a sticky black leather-covered horse vault.
Crash Course in Depravity hearkens back to when Fringe shows were unique, fierce secret little pockets of joy and shock, laughter and desperation. Doyle holds nothing back, throwing his (or his character’s) entire living sweating being into the gaping void of the audience’s incredulity. It is the crossroads of Art, Comedy, Sleaze and Humanity. For a fun game beforehand, try to guess which punters will walk out and how long it will take them.
An hour with Andrew Doyle on stage feels like the most bizarre and intense gaydar/grindr meet you can possibly have. If in doubt, ask box office to issue you with a safe word.