If you want big budget spectacle, this is not the show for you. If you want to spend an hour wedged into a tiny basement with less than 50 people while laughing at the genius of Charlie Chaplin brought to life, then you have come to the right place. The Pleasance Below is a tiny venue, just a few rows of tightly packed raked seating, and when I was there, it was full. This is theatre in its most intimate form, no one more than a couple of metres from the performer, and absolutely nowhere to hide if you are picked for a bit of audience interaction.
Marcel Cole, who both wrote and performs Smile, takes on the impossible task of distilling Chaplin’s life and art into a single hour, and somehow makes it feel both complete and personal. The show mixes physical comedy, mime, and a light sprinkling of history to conjure a warm, affectionate tribute to one of cinema’s most enduring figures.
The audience interaction is a big part of the fun. Different people are given different tasks, whether donning a hat, shuffling across the stage, or helping re-enact a scene from The Gold Rush. This is not audience humiliation, Cole sets everyone up to succeed, creating moments that are genuinely funny rather than awkward. It is the sort of participation that makes you secretly hope you might get picked, but also fear you might get picked.
Cole’s physicality is remarkable. He nails Chaplin’s walk, his cheeky glances, and the economy of movement that makes silent comedy so compelling. His expressive face becomes a screen in its own right, switching between mischief, indignation, and pathos in the blink of an eye. This is particularly effective in recreations of iconic moments, The Gold Rush is a crowd pleaser, while the finale, echoing The Great Dictator, adds unexpected emotional depth.
The space works in the show’s favour. In a larger venue, the subtleties of Cole’s performance might get lost, here, you can see every flicker of expression and feel the energy shift with each interaction. There is a shared complicity in a room this small, we are all in it together, and that makes the comedy land even harder.
There is a sprinkling of Chaplin biography along the way, his rise from poverty in the slums of London, his pioneering work in cinema, his political troubles in America, but the history never bogs down the fun. Instead, it frames the comedy, adding just enough context to remind us that behind the clowning was a man who worked tirelessly to perfect his art.
If there is a quibble, it is that the pacing sometimes eases off a little too much between the bigger set pieces. But given the sheer joy in the room, that is a minor note. This is a show with charm to burn, anchored by a performer who clearly loves both the material and his audience.
An intimate, funny, and affectionate tribute to a legend, delivered with skill, warmth, and impeccable comic timing. You will leave smiling, and maybe walking just a little bit like Chaplin yourself
11:10 Daily (except 13th) Till 25th August
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/2025SMILETH
Reviewer: Greg Holstead
Reviewed: 15th August 2025
North West End UK Rating:
Running time – 1hr