one4review | On 25, Aug 2026

From the warped genius of Elvis Dead’s Rob Kemp, he’s back in Edinburgh with his new full show, bringing together Beatles songs and the 1988 film Beetlejuice. The premise, as before, is simple: retell a classic film using the back catalogue of music legends. It’s as delightfully deranged as you’ve come to expect from the cult leader that nerds want to be when they grow up.
Kemp, dressed in the Ghost with the Most’s classic black-and-white stripes, takes us through the film’s story with Beatles songs, starting with a Sgt. Pepper’s parody to get everyone on board. We then proceed through the film with his usual touchstone references turned into a singalong absurdity, with highlights being I Am the Walrus becoming I Am a Dead Man, while Blackbird is reinvented as Goth Girl Cry.
The audience is well up for it, especially as half the room seems to be made up of comedians from the Fringe, there to support and check out the competition. They adopt the madness, waving sandworm props made from a windsock with glee.
The secret to the show’s success revolves around its Roger Corman-style approach: the homemade DIY props are half the joy. Inventive and brilliantly cobbled together from kids’ toys, garden centres and Poundland, they’re a triumph of low-budget ingenuity – the prawn cocktail hands and a power tool doubling as a head shrinking device are pure madness. Just don’t try this at home, kids.
As we wind up to Twist and Shout, the audience is on their feet, creating a moment of total communal warmth. Kemp, after throwing so much energy into the performance, is now a sweating mess, but gets the thoroughly deserved standing ovation.
So, after saying its name three times, Beatles Juice is eventually unleashed in all its full glory. For a Plan 9 meets Rocky Horror late-night experience, nobody does it better than Kemp, proving that the formula of a great show is simple – All You Need Is Love and a Handbook for the Recently Deceased.

****
Reviewed by Steve H
Hoots Grassmarket
16th to 30th Aug 23.10