ROBERT LLEWELLYN: WOMAN WIZARD
Scotsman Assembly, Edinburgh
August, 2002

*** Red Dwarf star unveils new software package for sex wars

Basically a lecture with computer graphics, it's amiable enough but little more than "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" stuff.

The premise is that Llewellyn has developed a software package consisting of a virtual girlfriend/wife, so that men can dry-run awkward situations on the PC before having to face them in the flesh. Then it simply becomes a recitation of various situations such a redecorating the flat, getting a stiffy in the bath, shrinking her favourite top in the wash and so on. It's fairly amusing, and we get a few quick bursts of his Kryten voice, but frankly no great shakes.

The most original development on the day I saw the show was that Llewellyn found himself assailed by loud and prolonged snoring, but it didn't seem to come from any of the audience. You see, he works all the visuals himself from onstage; once the intro tape has been played and the lights faded up, the show's technical operator has nothing to do for an hour. And, well, the poor techie had no doubt seen the show a dozen times or more already, and it was the third exhausting week of the Fringe season, and... Well, anyway: the sort of show where a dozing techie can be more interesting than events onstage.

Written for divento.com

Copyright © Ian Shuttleworth; all rights reserved.

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