What I liked
The incorporation and editing of 6-year-old Alan’s home video magic show is flawless. I genuinely could have watched a show of just that, so present day Alan and his collection of characters was a cherry on top of the icing on top of the cream on top of the cake.
What I didn't like
Practice of the dark arts is obviously sinful, and witchcraft is born from the trail to the Devil’s house. There’s no way around it in a show like this but it still made me deeply uneasy to see Giles performing miracles best left to the Lord.
My overall impression
The idea of doing a redemption arc to correct something you did poorly as a kid is so stupidly obvious that every comedian born past the invention of the handicam should be screaming into a pillow. Alan Giles, on the other hand, should seriously consider a patent.
This show is a madcap blend of home movies, solo sketch, magic, and a spoof of the kind of blustery self-important personalities that are (for some reason) dominating our media spaces. It’s sweet, it’s genuinely surprising, and most of all, it’s fucking funny. I know as I’m writing this review that the show’s Fringe run is over, but do yourself a favor and give Giles a follow in case it ever goes up again somewhere so you can go and see it. This won’t make sense out of context but believe me when I say that missing this run was your personal 9/11.
