The king of impressions returns to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with 60 impressions in 60 minutes. An epic feat and only one man is up to the job. That man is Luke Kempner, fresh from starring in the hit ITVX show, Spitting Image, delivers an entertaining hour of comedy impressions as broad spanning as Jeremy Clarkson, Luther and life-like Boris Johnson.
The premise of Luke’s show is to recreate a cop drama through impressions with the added element of making it a musical. As absurd as this mash-up of worlds sounds, the delivery is very impressive and allows Luke’s skills as an outstanding impressionist and brilliant singer to shine through. Luke is at ease with the audience, with the hour rushing by with impression after impression. Performing 60 impressions within 60 minutes shows how broad a span of characters he can do with many highlights like Michael McIntyre being the head of the Police, aided by Alan Carr and Rylan.
Some of the impressions are standouts like Luke’s Boris Johnson and Donald Trump in which he has previously performed with the cast of Spitting Image. He embodies these characters fully and is one of the closest-to-life imitations of these political figures you will come to see. Luke is also good at covering such a broad range of celebrities that each audience member will know at least half of those portrayed. Sections on sports personalities like Gary Lineker, Jurgen Klopp, and Harry Kane really got the audience laughing, and a part about Louis Theroux acting like he is doing one of his documentaries is very funny.
Luke also lets his vocal talents show with a number of songs mixed in throughout the impressions. Being able to say a few lines as a character is hard enough but being able to sing and act like that individual really steps it up a notch.
Overall, Luke’s show is a full-out hour of impressions that zooms by from the minute you sit down. Expect lots of laughter and the opportunity to see an impression king at work.
Luke Kempner in Gritty Police Drama: A One-Man Musical performs at Pleasance Courtyard until the 28th of August. Book tickets here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/luke-kempner-in-gritty-police-drama-a-one-man-musical