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Arguably one of the most down-to earth performances Bermuda audiences have seen to date, Hey Gringo! Through Peru is bare bones theatre at it's best... the story is told with finesse and timing - not to mention faultless dialects... and covers the gamut of emotions. Bermuda Festival Organizers are to be applauded for attracting such an "out of the box" performer to it's annual performing arts repertoire." "....completely captivated the audience at a packed Daylsford Theatre... with this mixture of Traveller's tales and raw stand-up comedy, spiced with a pinch of mime, Searles may have created a whole new genre of theatre. The festival has done well to recruit a natural raconteur of sharp wit. Let's hope Searles is invited back next year so that those who could not get a ticket this time will not miss out on this rare treat again" "In the mid 1980's, Peter Searles went to South America and ended up in Chile . This wonderful and timely one-man play tells the story of the time he spent there.Delivered raconteur-style, direct to the audience, with no props save his own malleable face, Searles has you in the palm of his hand from the moment he opens his mouth... a natural story-teller and talented comedian; everything about the show is understated and spot-on, including the music." "A bloke stands on a bare stage telling us about a holiday he took in Chile more than 15 years ago. It sounds like the definition of dullness, but an hour and 20 minutes later you are yearning for more. Quite what makes Peter Searles such a riveting storyteller is hard to put a finger on. Maybe it's the way he drops in wonderfully surreal details; or the fact that his tales never quite go the way you expect." "A stand-up storyteller par excellence, Searles is the diametric opposite of a pub bore... a combination of Bill Bryson's eye for the ridiculous and Rory Bremner's ear for mimicry... he could have gone on for another hour and nobody would have batted an eye". Scorched vistas and the shantytowns of the England of the Andes are atmospherically recreated with ease, the funnies underpinned with sharp, shocking political truths; it really is the way he tells'em that makes Searles Britain 's answer to Spalding Gray." ' ...the interlocking but distinct shows on alternate nights prove the deceptively clean-cut Searles's credentials as a great stand-up storyteller. It's a fascinating, scary and funny tale from way beyond our narrow confines. Prepare to be transported." "Peter Searles is an eminently likeable, extremely charismatic and highly skilled practitioner... Escapade after episode evinces a perfect progression from set-up, through a build involving superbly executed accents and physical theatre, to the final unfailing pay-off... In it's poignancy and political punch this matches anything similarly essayed by Spalding Grey or David Hare; Searles is wholly excellent company. I'm going to pay to see Bolivia & Beyond. And a critic can't lavish higher praise than that." "Peter Searles' show is like meeting a fascinating stranger in a bar who holds the audience spell bound. This is the show every traveller would love to be able to give." "Eleven years ago Peter Searles embarked on a seven month South American odyssey - and I'm really glad he did. Funny, sad and intelligently told, this warts and all version of a chaotic South America captures everything; Don't miss this." "Peter Searles has already made two similar outings as writer/performer and the transition has been an intriguing one; Gone are the quaint anecdotes, in their place is a stream of polished observations that create what is essentially a well-honed play, nudged to a fresh dramatic level. Searles has struck it rich for a third time." "If you've never been tempted to stray further than Bognor or Magaluf - then get down to "Hey Gringo" for a taster of what you've been missing In a myriad accented English and Spanish monologues, that's like a cross between a Radio 4 travelogue and an after-dinner speech, he conjures the lot for our delight; excellent travellers tales." "Walking, talking travelogues are a great British tradition, be it Michael Palin on TV or David Hare on stage, and Peter Searles' tale of his Latin American exploits is no exception. A good line in shaggy-dog storytelling is de rigeur, and happily Searles has an abundance of it. Like Indiana Jones on speed, he borders on slapstick as he dances with drunken Indians or demonstrates in Spanish how to catch and cook a tarantula. Should Searles so wish, he has a hit for the Middle England circuit." "Really enjoyable, kick off your shoes, sit back and listen to this well informed, well traveled and very funny entertainer. It's particularly interesting because it comes from a world mercifully far removed from the comedy of girlfriends and boyfriends and the funny things that the guests on the Gerry Springer show come out with. Highly recommended." "Deft, charming, and very funny, English actor Peter Searles tells stories of his South American adventures offhandedly as if we'd just stumbled upon him at the local pub, the energy, humor and blow by blow accounts are worth multiple viewings." "And on we go, the tales unfolding like a ride down steaming rapids, the whitewater both bracing and cold. Throughout Searles is irrepressible and disarming, a natural storyteller." "Deeply funny.... we take our hats off to an amazing storyteller and a stunning physical performer. " Searles can hold his own in the affable charm stakes - he bounces, he flounces, he keeps your interest without appearing to expect it, moving and amusing, this is a thoroughly pleasant, refreshingly undemanding hour's entertainment. "Hilarious, chilling and very entertaining." "He went down a bomb with potentially tricky audiences of 13 and 14 year old boys and girls, plenty of guts, bravado and downright rudeness in his adventures and his performance; enough to earn him hysterical laughter and a standing ovation!" |
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