Examining how the Mighty have fallen
Nic Sampson: Yellow Power Ranger Assembly Roxy (Venue 139) until 25 August ★★★★
Kiwi comic Nic Sampson crafted a cult hit with his 2022 Fringe debut based on the weird and wonderful details of the 1904 Olympic marathon.
And he more than matches that show's storytelling prowess with this frequently hilarious follow-up, blurring fact and fiction, and spun from his own teen experience of starring in the international television phenomenon, The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
Regrettably, by the time Sampson got involved, the once hugely successful show was on its 14th season and desperately recycling and contriving ideas, throwing whatever gimmicks and absurd storylines it could at the screen in a failing attempt to remain relevant. But that's something his character can absolutely relate to.
We're catching up with him at a Comic Con meet and greet appearance many years later, clinging to the last vestiges of his fame, milking the fans for whatever dollar he can extract, with the thinnest veneer of confidence in his artistic capabilities, having conceived another direction for the franchise to take.
Yellow Power Ranger derives plenty of laughs simply from playing the old clips, with Sampson appreciating that he often only requires minimal, straight-faced commentary, the series' creaky effects, leaden narrative and his own youthfully exuberant acting effectively mocking themselves.
But around this sold gold kernel of comedy, he's forged a slick, multimedia portrayal of a fading performer on their uppers, yearning to get the old gang of Rangers back together, with some unfinished romantic and professional business to attend to.
His persona is simultaneously one of pretentious artist, with his Mark Wahlberg-style intense daily itinerary and literary ambitions, struggling entrepreneur persecuted by birds of prey and shameless showbusiness sell-out, cynically whoring himself in Cameo videos.
Though often highenergy funny, with inspired audience interaction, the show features a memorable representation of deluded, pathetic manhood at its core.