In his one man show, Movable Feast, culinary MacGyver and part-time womble, George Egg, makes ingenious use of motor machinery, powertools, construction equipment and everyday items to cook genuinely tasty dishes live onstage. As if those weren’t already intriguing enough ingredients for a night of entertainment, George also amused us with humorous observations, brief poetry interludes and interesting factoids.
And there’s that word, ‘interesting’. Midway through his show, George affably informed us that “Some of this is funny, some of it’s just interesting!”, but by this stage we had figured as much. After all, George had already given us a deviously funny use for malt loaf, and then shown us how to cook aubergine - with a particularly specialist laptop - while commuting on a Great Western train.
With the calm yet mischievous demeanour of a schoolboy inventor, George deadpanned regularly and effortlessly, but made no mention of the smoke emanating from the large mechanical items shrouded in black sheets behind him. The stage was cluttered with hardware that we knew would eventually serve a bizarre purpose in this motorway masterchef’s plans for the evening. This utilitarian backdrop augmented the eccentricity of George’s activities, and the absurd theatricality of his brief poetry interludes. One moment, a serving of rhubarb emerged from an engine coolant tank, and the next, a particularly lascivious mackerel was flame-grilled in a hubcap, as George revelled in the anarchy.
The idea that George has cooked numerous meals on trains only added to the spectacle, and his commitment to sustainability shone through the humour in even his most impish innovations. At one point he admitted with sad resignation that he had driven that evening, before segueing excitedly onto a reveal of some toasted rye bread he had prepared on his journey, and the legalities of edible roadkill.
Having previously toured shows such as Anarchist Cook and DIY Chef, George is an acclaimed stand-up comic whose deadpan musings and quirky cooking methods have been entertaining crowds across the UK for the past three years. It is easy to see why George’s particular recipe for comedy has lasting appeal, so I find it surprising that he isn’t more famous by now. George was partially right when he said “Some of this is funny”, because some of it was hilarious, but I disagree that “some of it’s just interesting” - all of it was genuinely interesting.