Brokeback Britain - 2006

“Spot on observations about life in Britain - four stars”
EDFRINGE.COM, AUGUST 2006

Review: BROADWAY BABY, Alan Chorley, 6 August, 2006 - four stars

An Australian and an American talk about what they like about living in Britain (drinking and sex) and about what they dislike (almost everything else).

Australian Pete Jonas and American Erich McElroy moved independently to the UK six years ago. After meeting up by accident, they decided to create a stand-up comedy act to express their feelings about this country. Brokeback Britain is a tribute to their new home.

Much of their show is a good-humoured attack on the failings of Britain, particularly the food, transport system, weather, queuing, TV and the service industry. Most of their comments went down well with the large, appreciative audience. There are things they do love about Britain, however, such as its binge drinking and casual sex culture. “It’s relatively easy to pull here”, says Jonas. “Particularly if quality isn’t an issue”.

About from complaining about Britain they also cover the war on terror, Fox News, citizen tests and their ex-girlfriends. A very entertaining act.


Review: THE LIST, Russell Clark, August, 2006

The idea of an hour’s worth of culture bashing would, by the sounds of it, not be to everyone’s taste, but the execution of this work is perfect.

Rather than focusing in on British culture from the outset, they talk us through the downfalls of their own Aussie and American backgrounds, and then the similarities and peculiarities towards British culture.

This could have been dangerous territory, as we Brits are well known for being dangerously patriotic, but Jonas and McElroy were able to read the audience so as to know when they were about to go to far. The set did have a tendency towards over-covered topics, the weather and queuing, but at other times they managed to be hilariously insightful about other topics, such as our dangerous drinking culture. Obviously, due to the nature of their material, anyone who is zealously patriotic will be offended, but I left the theatre feeling strangely proud of our awful country.


Review: THE STAGE, Jeremy Austin, 14 August, 2006

Where avuncular Yank Bill Bryson took a look at us Brits and made us feel good about ourselves through his observations, stand-ups American Erich McElroy and Australian Pete Jonas achieve the opposite.

Their tales of queuing in empty shops in rainy towns full of raping, stealing illegal immigrants sounds more like the former Soviet Union. Our good points include being alcoholics and slappers - not exactly a quote from the Rough Guide.

There is an option that foreigners who don’t like living in Britain can take - sod off back to your own country - but somehow McElroy and Jonas steer through choppy waters and avoid forcing us into making this unwelcome comment.

Perhaps they appeal to that British disease of cynicism. We like a moan. We like to think we have it tough in Britain because it appeases our fat Western conscience.

Perhaps, also, because the show, while very often dragging up the usual observations about the British, has inventive moments. Turning the nationality test into a gameshow is a brilliant idea and there are some great gags.


Review: THE SCOTSMAN, Fiona Shepherd, 15 August, 2006

IN BROKEBACK BRITAIN, American comic Erich McElroy and Aussie Pete Jonas celebrate the love that dare not speak its name - a grudging affection for their adopted home in the UK.

There is no compelling reason for this show about national stereotypes to work at all. Within the first five minutes, the pair have reduced British cultural identity to the unholy triumvirate of queuing, apologising and boozing. It rains a lot, too, they have discovered. We like funny food. Our public transport system is frustrating. They're absolutely right, if wholly unoriginal. But what they lack in incisive observation, they make up for in sheer good humour.

This is a simple yet often well-crafted show with natural interplay between the duo and jokes which hit more often than they miss.

It's not all Brit-bashing - they take some time to send up their own native cultures too, bolstered by the presence of some of their respective countrymen in the audience.

It also transpires that there is no great significance to their show-title's reference to Brokeback Mountain, except as an excuse to wear cowboy hats and set up what they proudly consider to be a contender for worst joke on the Fringe. It is worth a good-natured groan at least.