Crasher's party falls flat

His spectacular gatecrashing of Prince William's 21st birthday party made headlines around the world.

However, alternative comedian Aaron Barschak discovered last night that evading police and kissing the second in line to the throne is one thing - but escaping the critics is altogether tougher.

Barschak admitted his Windsor Castle cameo in June was a hard act to follow but even he couldn't have predicted his one-man show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe could be so dire.

The title of the show is the only high point in this theatrical travesty.

Despite the hype that it was sold out, the 180-capacity Smirnoff Underbelly was barely a third full. Many of those were journalists who had indulged in a spot of gatecrashing themselves, despite a media ban. Cameras had to be handed in but a spoof security search on entry failed to uncover countless secreted pens and notebooks.

Things felt distinctly bad as the buildup ran late. When 37-year-old Barschak entered they got worse. Dressed as a barefoot Guantanamo Bay prisoner in an orange boiler suit he was the most nervous performer I had ever seen.

He has confidently hijacked shows 20 times this size in his quest for fame but went dry-mouthed when the spotlight was finally on him. As he said himself: "I didn't expect things to go this far."

The few jokes that he had written fell flat. Barschak stuttered, stumbled and mumbled his way through an Ali G impersonation, a Jewish Clint Eastwood and a grim Great Escape gag. His tunnel from Cuba had apparently led to Scotland.

He dropped props, his fake beard fell off and he dried up, at one point admitting: "I'm going up a blind alley here." Halfway through he revealed his trademark peach dress and resorted to the spine of his act, a retelling of his royal encounter. His intention was to set the record straight as much as raise laughs, but anyone who has glanced at his many press interviews will know the story already.

There was an absence of anything even remotely resembling stagecraft, direction or pace in what could have been a well polished anecdote. The only time he appeared comfortable was when he slipped into his Arabic accent, but nerves prevented him from keeping the latter up for very long. I'd like to say more but I was watching through my fingers towards the end.

The most remarkable aspect of this whole episode is that Barschak booked his run long before his tabloid notoriety. What he would have filled the hour with if it had not been for that moment of midsummer madness beggars belief.

Never mind scaling new heights of anarchic humour, this is the kind of car-crash comedy that will have audiences climbing the walls.