The only text on his posters is the name of the show. The show description on edfringe.com only says, “Please help. I am trapped in a cardboard supermarket.” When you walk into the dusty hallways of The Hive to go see Adam Larter, you really have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. But soon enough, it doesn’t matter, as you find yourself embracing the goofiness and wackiness of the show. Good Morning Croissant is a Willy Wonka-esque trip into the genius — and slightly mad, mind of Larter as he welcomes you into his wonderful cardboard shop.
Broken into multiple skits, the show has the oddest theme of taking place inside a cardboard supermarket that Larter, who now calls himself Alan, gets sucked into Jumanji-style. He welcomes audience members to come shop in his store, where he dances, sings, and occasionally hosts game shows. Odd and inspired, the skits are elevated by the quality props Larter made out of foam board and markers. It really is a show designed to be fun, to be taken lightly, and once the audience gets into that mindset, the show really takes off to become a raucous hodge-podge of ridiculousness and enjoyment.
That said, it takes a bit of time for the audience to get into that mindset. The beginning feels weak and garners only a few chuckles, and then transitions into the full-blown skit feel slow and weird. It could be the environment itself; the show takes place in a small room and Larter has very little space to work with. Still, the strengths of the show far outweigh this little hang-up, and by the end, everyone is enjoying themselves immensely.
Surreal, endearingly awkward, and in a weird way, kind of wholesome; Good Morning Croissant is unlike any show you’ve seen before. It is like getting high and suddenly finding yourself transported inside a children’s television programme. Good Morning Croissant brings the audience along with Adam Larter on a chaotic revelry of silliness that feels too unstructured at times but ultimately establishes him as a brilliant writer and a charismatic comedian. It will stand out in my mind as one of the most interesting, fun and unique shows of the 2019 Fringe.
Good Morning Croissant is on at Heroes @ The Hive – The Bunka
At 19:20 until 25th August
You can buy tickets here, or pay what you want at the show.
Image: Ed Moore