Michael Cox reflects on his experience at a Fringe cult favourite.
A Young Man Dressed as a Gorilla Dressed as an Old Man Sits Rocking in a Rocking Chair for Fifty-Six Minutes and Then Leaves…
Has there ever been a title for a Fringe show that screamed ‘FRINGE’ more than that? Maybe, but I sure as hell haven’t seen it.
The performance of the one-off event took place on the 18th of August and was ridiculously full—to the point that a huge crowd of people were turned away, disappointed. The queue snaked well up Victoria Street, many passerbys amused by so many trying to get into an even that, at best, sounds ‘odd’. To those who actually got in, what they saw was…well, exactly what the title says.
What actually happened that night in the 56-minute run time inside the Liquid Room was not a passive act of an audience staring at the titular gorilla: it was a piece of performance art, one that was more about the audience and their reactions than the individual sitting in a rocking chair.
As with many cult performances, there seemed to be a division of people within the audience: those in the know, those who were curious and those who were befuddled by what they saw.
And what did they see?
Well, they saw an audience that decided to make themselves the star of the show. The thing that I can best compare it to is the shadow cast that stand before a screen projecting The Rocky Horror Picture Show: shouting lines and acting out, treating the material with both respect and as inspiration for shenanigans. Many had brought objects that were offered to the gorilla: a cuddly toy, a crown, flowers and LOTS of bananas, to name but a few. The audience found ways of amusing itself—and yet, that same audience were also intent on honouring that damned gorilla. If anything, the gorilla was the most protected individual in the performance space. Words were shouted out and people tried to get reactions. Those lines and actions that amused the audience got appreciative laughs and applause; those who did not were subjected to ‘boos’ and demands to sit down, or to sometimes leave the space in shame. There were individuals who became heroes, and while there were plenty who didn’t meet the approval of the audience, there was only one person who seemed to become a de facto villain—a person who never met the audience’s satisfaction and who got a comeuppance by slipping on spilt beer in the end, much to the amusement of the audience.
It was all completely silly, and yet it was also one of the funniest things I have experienced in some time. Stood in the back near the door (I was one of the last to be given a place out of sheer dumb luck), I cackled the entire time. Why did I laugh as much as I did? In my attempts to explain the event to people—here and in conversations—I continue to fail to even come close to expressing in any tangible way why it was as funny as it was. Was I actually amused, or did I myself get caught up in the atmosphere?
Maybe it was down to an audience that just wanted to have a good time, or maybe it was something far more reaching—the fact that we the audience were gathered together in a single space and decided that we were going to have a good time, no matter what, in the presence of an individual who was wearing said costume.
It has to be noted that the staff at the Liquid Room seemed as confused by the success of the event as any person reading this and still wondering ‘What the hell?’ I asked, beforehand and afterwards, what they thought it was all about. None of them knew, and none of the employees I spoke with had any answers as to why it was so successful.
It was ridiculous. It was outrageous. It is shocking that it is one of the most attended events during the Fringe. And I desperately want to see it again.
A Young Man Dressed as a Gorilla Dressed as an Old Man Sits Rocking in a Rocking Chair for Fifty-Six Minutes and Then Leaves…16 performed at PBH’s Free Fringe @Liquid Room (Liquid Room Warehouse) at 20:45 on August 18, 2025. For those curious about seeing it at some point, it is HIGHLY advised to stand in the queue early.
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