Reviews

One Man Breaking Bad (Edinburgh Fringe)

Miles Allen reenacts all five seasons of the smash hit show in 60 minutes

Every now and then I have moments where I'm hit with a pang of deep despair, when I realise that I'll never be able to watch Breaking Bad for the first time again. Baddicts as I like to call people like me, are as hooked on the Netflix series as Walt and Jesse's customers are to their glass grade meth. A couple of months ago, I stumbled across a video of a homeless guy doing impressions of Walt Jr and Co. which has since gone viral. This guy was good, so good in fact that his show One Man Breaking Bad is now performing to packed audiences at Stand III.

Miles Allen is a supreme entertainer, not only does he nail impressions of pretty much every character in the series – his Walt Jr had me and the rest of the room doubled up with laughter – his charisma smacks you round the chops like a hit of the blue stuff. And whilst I can't speak for those audience members who had found themselves at the show having never watched an episode of the programme, there is something for everyone as the hour long show not only spans all five seasons but is intersected with incredible impressions of other TV favourites from Peter Griffin to Bill Cosby (as Mr White).

The show is very well written, with a pre-recorded Jesse Pinkman acting as narrator (b*tch!), allowing Allen a chance to regain his breath between acting out parts of the series and segments that include Breaking Bad dance moves ('Calling Saul', 'Throwing the Pizza on the Roof' and crowd favourite 'Die like Jane') and a wonderfully bizarre parody of Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" sung by Walt Jr. Throw in a bevy of topical references just for the Scottish contingent (Irn Bru, the Proclaimers and Mel Gibson's dodgy accent in Braveheart), and Allen has cooked up a recipe for success that Heisenberg would be proud of.

If, like me, you are a fan of Vince Gilligan's series, then this is what you have been waiting for ever since that fateful night in Jack's compound, a high-tempo, laugh out loud, beautifully executed homage to one of the best TV shows of our generation.

One Man Breaking Bad runs at Stand III until 23 August.

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