Christopher Hall Pizazz - Lounge Gilded Balloon Teviot - Review

One of the many things about attending the Edinburgh Fringe year after year is the opportunity both to discover shows and/or performers that you become a fan of and to revisit them year after year. It was a couple of years ago that I first attended a Christopher Hall stand up show, then in Gilded Balloon at the Museum, and it was one of the funniest things I saw that year. So when I found that Hall was returning this year with his new show Pizazz, I knew I simply had to be there, even if it did mean rushing out of the McEwan Hall through the crowds to dash across the square to Teviot in what felt like a very quick 20 minutes.

If there ever was someone that simply embodied the title 'showman', it would be Christopher Hall. Dancing onto the stage oozing personality and style, Hall instantly creates a sense that we are all just friends in a room ready to gossip, party and laugh. He fizzes with energy, explaining with every dance move, every precise pose and every cheeky smile the exact reason why this show is titled Pizazz (although the neon sign behind him on stage may look like it says Pizza at first glance).

Hall states that since his last fringe show he has moved from his early mid thirties to simply his mid thirties, taking this opportunity to fill his show with anecdotes about being the life of the party to those friends of his age who are settling down and starting families. He takes us down memory lane, talking about holidays with the girls to Zante, his best friend Emily, nights out at Magic Mike Live and the dreaded seating plan at parties that leaves him on the other side of the room from his friends. It is a celebration of being a party person, that one guy that everyone wants at their event, no matter what the event, even children's birthday parties, and we can all see why. He has this energy that lights up a room whilst shouting with a smile that everyone is welcome here.

The audience lap it up, more than ready to join in the fun as gay best friends are celebrated even when absent (as Hall laughs, the missing best friend is in Brighton so he's fine) and Hall spirals into giggles when an audience member gives out an excited whoop at the mere mention of Edinburgh Waverley train station. Spending just as much time in the aisle with us as he does on stage, Hall inserts himself as a gay best friend to us all in an almost Vegas style what's said in this room stays in this room gossip and giggles session.

Dancing around the space with great skill (Hall's choreography talents can also be seen on display in fringe hit musical Shantify), Hall commands attention and dazzles with confidence, creating a great sense of fun as Pizazz celebrates friendships and enjoying every minute of life, whether at the party or not.