This Review is from August 2026

Harvey Cobb’s Pink Boots and an Alcoholic Sock Puppet gets off to a decidedly rocky start, with technical issues meaning the show goes up around 20 minutes late. It’s a tough way to begin, particularly if you then address that the tech might not work at all. It doesn’t exactly instil confidence in the audience, and it takes a while for Cobb to get us back on side.

That uncertainty is particularly noticeable in the clowning moments that are deliberately designed to go badly. There’s a fine line between watching a clown intentionally fail and wondering whether you’re simply watching a bad clown, and for a while it’s not entirely clear which side of that line we’re on.

Thankfully, the second half is where Cobb really starts to shine. The characters arrive, the tricks become more impressive, the silly songs land, and the whole thing starts to feel like the chaotic hour of fun promised by the Fringe blurb.

By the time we reach the final trick, the mood in the room has completely shifted. What started as a frustrating and uncertain opening has transformed into a show that leaves you wishing Cobb had another hour up his sleeve.

A bumpy start but stick with it! There’s plenty of silly, inventive fun to be found once Pink Boots finds its feet.

Natalie Goring