Douglas Widick: Paperclip continues at The Penny at Gilded Balloon Patter House until 25 August 2025.
Star rating: two stars ★ ★ ✩ ✩ ✩
If this show drew bigger houses, it would be an absolute riot! The concept is great: the so-called ‘helpful’ Paperclip from Microsoft Word is travelling back in time from 2049 to try and save humanity and the planet. ‘Clippy’ really wants to fulfil his purpose and really help.
Widick has an intensity and focus that gets past his ‘metal rock’ persona as Clippy, complete with Limahl-like spiky peroxide wig and a blow-up version of the Clippy figure hanging in front of him. He’s likeable, funny and entertaining.
There is audience participation in the piece and his personality manages to make punters want to help out.
The plot centres round trying to save the planet and Clippy’s goal to prevent Alan Turing from making his Enigma code-breaker. However, the plot wanders off here and there (including preventing Buddy Holly’s death) and in a one-man show, you need all the focus you can get.
There are a lot of video moments that Clippy interacts with and these could have been sharper, but, again, Widick’s personality keeps the audience with him.
This show would be ideal for a group of friends to go to for some late night laughs and to enjoy Clippy’s charm.
Fiona Orr
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