Beating McEnroe[author-post-rating] (4/5 Stars)

Beating McEnroe is a one-man performance based on Jamie Wood’s deeply-rooted infatuation with Björn Borg. In case it wasn’t screamingly obvious from this summary alone, it is an alternative comedy. So alternative, in fact, that the unique experience of viewing it is near-impossible to prepare yourself for, but here is some context anyway: Since he was eight years-old, Wood has cheered for Björn Borg. When McEnroe joined the tennis-circuit, the famous Ice and Fire rivalry ensued, with Jamie backing his hero until the bitter end and beyond. For reasons he cannot explain, McEnroe still symbolises to him something dark and forbidden.

“I love Björn Borg,” Wood begins, pausing melodramatically, “because my family all love Björn Borg,” he pauses again, “and because of his beard.” He lets the absurdity of this extreme obsession sink in, an early precursor to the show’s underlying question: why do we select the role models that we do?

The show is not primarily about tennis, but rather Wood’s obsession with Borg and, his antithesis, McEnroe. Wood associates Borg with pivotal points in his personal development, from his brother’s harsh methods of coaching him at tennis (“I realise now that it was his way of teaching me how to be a man”), to a schoolyard scrap (“Borg doesn’t cry, Borg is ice”).

This is more than a mere monologue or diatribe, although it frequently demonstrates the best of both formats. It is a lecture in weird humour, delivered by an expert in the field, replete with projections, marker pens and student-teacher interaction. What better auditorium to host it, then, than Summerhall’s Red Lecture Theatre? The space is intimate enough to ensure everyone has some degree of participation, whether that entails answering questions, throwing a ball or egg (yes egg, or oeuf, as our quasi-wise eggspert is quick to point out) or voguing alongside Wood dressed in Y-fronts, a transparent tutu and – of course – a tennis headband.

The dance sequences occasionally drag, sometimes being more bewildering than funny, but they are just one aspect of this clown-style comedy. Beating McEnroe wins laughs via many other mediums, ranging from mock-shamanistic rituals to full-blown amateur drama workshops involving audience members. Plus everyone is also treated to a sweaty hug at the end.

In conclusion, Wood is either a dangerous psychopath or a natural clown. The former is certainly possible, the show regularly digresses into an open therapy session with him playing patient; however, given the copious time spent interacting with his audience, forging effortless humour, I’d wager the latter. Either way, Beating McEnroe promises guaranteed laughter.

Beating McEnroe is playing Summerhall until 16 August. For more information and tickets, see the Edinburgh Fringe website.