A wonderfully charming portrayal of an ordinary man against the (literal) odds
What an absolute joy of a show to watch! From beginning to end, actor Andy Linden embodied the not-so-typical life of a typical tipster brilliantly, it’s not an exaggeration to call ‘Baxter vs The Bookies’ a one-of-a-kind show. Linden, as a slyly earnest yet charismatic tipster, sucks the audience into his problems – from relationships and horses to prophetic postmen and a bet to end all bets – spinning tales that are as charming as they are hilarious. Despite my very limited understanding of betting language, Linden made it part of his vernacular, natural and entertaining, through characters that came alive through his form.
The only unfortunate part of the show was that sitting in the back row made it very difficult to hear every word that was said. Several audience members around me had to crane to hear, and sometimes jokes would land after a beat, when people had processed the quiet jab. The venue was also slightly too small: sitting next to the AC didn’t help in terms of the audio!
Despite this, Andy Linden’s performance is simply brilliant. The several tales he spins from the perspective of a tipster don’t just entertain: they’re representative of an average man rebelling (sometimes simply out of spite) against a world that ruins the game by trying to turn betting into simple statistics. Linden’s show is a triumph for all – and a must-see for anyone with a sense of humour, no matter your knowledge of horses.
(Baxter vs The Bookies is a play at the Edinburgh Fringe between the 1st and 25th August in the Gilded Balloon Patter House. Get your tickets here)