Created by Christian Brighty, Amy Greaves, Dan Lees

Directed by Ben Clark

Escaping the pleas of his adoring Lords and Ladies, actor and comedian Christian Brighty is ready to rush into Pleasance Below and enchant a packed audience at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. With his dedicated following of over four hundred thousand users on TikTok, Brighty is known for his regency-era skits, which take a scandalous turn in his new show Playboy.

Vexed by Cupid’s arrows of lust the infamous rake Lord Christian Brighty encounters a “chamber of common scum”, also known as his audience. The audience, armed only with a pair of grey socks, is swept along in Brighty’s desire to forgo his past rakish ways in his quest to prove himself worthy of love. The story takes the audience on a journey from his Lordship’s family estates to a regency ball and even to the battlefield.

Brighty’s passionate dedication to the role of the charming and manipulative character is a highlight of the performance, combining excellent physicality in the more farcical moments of the show with engaging facial expressions to present a fully fleshed-out character.

Audience participation is incorporated throughout the regency romp, from love advice to artistic endeavours, Brighty’s interactions with the crowd are spontaneous and yield entertaining results and Brighty takes them in stride.

Audio and props are utilised in lieu of other characters, leading to some enjoyable skits but lacking emotional investment for the audience in aspects of the story other than the leading man himself.

Christian Brighty’s Playboy is a witty comedy with an interesting plot twist and scandalous humour that would shock the Lords and Ladies of the time period.