Emma McAlpine reviews intrepid crusader Alex Horne's new gambling-themed show.
Yes, you guessed it, Alex Horne has another mission on his hands and this time it’s golf. After previous crusades trying to teach his audiences Latin, see more species of bird than his dad in a year and get his own word in the dictionary, Horne has now set himself a new goal: to try and get a hole in one on a par 3 hole before his 32nd birthday.
The theme of the show is gambling which he admits to having a problem with in his mid-20s. Of course, he’s not into regular gambling; Horne is a fan of the ‘offbeat bet’ and gives us a rundown of his top 5 throughout the show. To draw us into his speculative world, he recreates several of the bets with the audience, separating the women and the men to fire up that good old ‘battle of the sexes’ competitive spirit. It turns out, it’s not so much the winning Horne is obsessed with but the science behind betting. Using quantum mechanics, maths and Robin Ince’s pet subject, Carl Sagan, he tries to understand if there is any logic behind gambling and whether he has any control over it.
It’s a fairly typical production from Horne, who uses a now trademark PowerPoint presentation with endearingly childish graphics, to illustrate his adventure. An earnest performer, almost buzzing with nervous excitement, it’s hard not to get pulled into his obsessions with him; whether they’re bets, birds or words. However, while undoubtedly entertaining, there aren’t a lot of jokes on offer here, as Horne himself draws attention to by numbering the occasional few that crop up.
Therefore, the only element noticeably lacking in the show is comedy, which is as important as you care to make it. If you’re looking for gags and belly laughs, you won’t find them here. If you’re happy hearing about daft and, ultimately fruitless goals, with some fun and games thrown into the mix: Horne’s your man.
Alex Horne: Odds will be at the Pleasance Upstairs from the 4-30th August at 8:30pm
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