by Anne-Louise Fortune
If you’re of Generation X, or older, you might well recall Paul Zenon as that chap who was a quite funny magician on TV. If you still watch daytime TV, you might be aware that he now pops up in Dictionary Corner on Channel 4’s Countdown fairly frequently.
At this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, he’s presenting Monkey Business, a show described as being all about ‘the weird stuff advertised in vintage American comics’. What this show is, is a nostalgic romp through your childhood, examined in forensic, hilarious, and often jaw-dropping detail.
After a mood-setting introduction, where it becomes obvious that this is going to be a low-tech event, Zenon fills us in on the background of the hour-long talk he’s about to give. Zenon is a member of the Inner Magic Circle and has worked as a comedian, and his stage presence throughout this show is phenomenal – Zenon is a seasoned professional who knows exactly how to work his audience.
It may not come as a surprise to anyone who knows anyone who practices the art of magic that Zenon is a massive nerd. This show takes the form of a presentation using slides shown using an overhead projector – it’s like being back in school in c1984. It’s also exceptionally joyous, with a huge dose of nostalgia contained in every new slide and new nugget of information.
Many of the adverts in the back of the comics designed to appeal to, predominantly, young boys were a total and utter con – and most of them originated in the mind of one man: Harold von Braunhut. Braunhut was an American whose paternal family owned a toy company. By the time of his death, he had 195 patents, many of them possibly for things which did not really exist or which were a con of one sort or another. His most famous inventions were Sea Monkeys and X-Ray Spex, and Zenon breaks down how these and other of Braunhut’s inventions actually worked. Or, more often, did not. Braunhut’s personal life was as controversial as his business practices, and Zenon deviates into an exploration of his life, career and beliefs as part of his talk.
Everything in this hour-long piece of theatrical storytelling is fascinating. There is so much information offered that you might want to take notes to enable you to read into everything in more depth later. Zenon is a master of information dissemination, and this show was a joy to experience. Part research-paper presentation, part nostalgic roller-coaster, this is a show to be sought out and relished.
Paul Zenon In Monkey Business, continues at the Edinburgh Fringe until August 27th.
