Fringe Review: DEREK DEMKO’S LAST DAY OF CAMP!, The Crate at Assembly George Square
This year, one of the stand-out stars of Baby Wants Candy and Shamilton, both Fringe favourites, Derek Demko has brought his own solo show to Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In this show, Demko transports us to the closing ceremony of a traditional American summer camp for a show full of music, laughter and games.
Derek Demko’s Last Day of Camp! is pure joy from start to finish. Even if you’ve never been to summer camp (most Brits in the audience probably haven’t, but probably have dreamed of visiting Camp Rock!), Demko sets the scene enough so we know our context. He manages to give us an hour of childhood innocence amidst the chaos of the Fringe.
What is very apparent in this show is Demko’s incredible amount of talent. He is incredibly charismatic on stage. He has a huge amount of energy and builds a great rapport with the audience very quickly. He is an exceptional musician. People may already know him as an excellent rapper from his work in Shamilton and his growing social media presence and work as an independent artist, and this skill is definitely on display here. However, he is also a wonderful singer and he accompanies himself on guitar. It’s a delight to listen to his original songs for this show (EP of the original songs from the show when?!).
What makes this show so joyous is that it feels like a lovely community gathering, which is mainly done through lots of audience participation. It’s very low pressure audience participation, you won’t be forced to do anything you don’t want to but you should be willing, throw yourself into the show to get the most out of it. The one thing felt a little absent though was the opportunity for a community sing-along of more campfire songs, many of which have crossed the pond thanks to the global Scouting and Girlguiding movements.
Towards the end of the show, after an hour of fun, Demko lands a beautifully poignant ending. He reflects on the very real challenge of making friends as an adult and rallies us to go out into the world and simply be willing to make conversation.
Derek Demko’s Last Day of Camp feels very much like America’s answer to James B. Partridge’s Primary School Bangers (perhaps a crossover is needed at next year’s Fringe?) - a moment to come together with other people and reminisce over how life used to be before adulthood worries set in. For an hour of feel-good fun and connection with others, be sure to check out Derek Demko’s Last Day of Camp!
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Jacob Bush