This late-night escapade became a word-of-mouth festival favourite. The show\u2019s creators discuss the method behind its madness \u2013 and why you\u2019ll laugh without knowing why<\/p>\n
Deep within the cavernous Banshee Labyrinth in Edinburgh\u2019s Cowgate, robed monks stand ominously on stage after midnight. It\u2019s 2024, halfway through the Edinburgh fringe, and nobody really knows what\u2019s happening. But in this dungeon-like sweatbox we\u2019re about to experience a work in progress that is equal parts joyous and utterly unhinged.<\/p>\n
Two years on, Underground Monk Show is back. While some shows arrive at the fringe with a clear elevator pitch, this one is still impossible to define. \u201cIt\u2019s so funny because that\u2019s constantly what we ask ourselves,\u201d laughs co-creator John Norris, also the brains behind the absurdist comedy gem Mr Chonkers<\/a>. If you were to attempt to explain what happens, you might say that the show follows the whimsical monks who, over the course of an hour, each experience a spiritual awakening of sorts, spurred on by a magical body of water that turns their visions into reality. There are flashbacks, dream sequences and a portal into another world as the performers shuffle up and down the aisles, moving together as one unit.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/3e3b5605837c14c414641f6dd7e76e5a4ed5537b\/221_52_2282_1826\/master\/2282.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f8fd3e4b4092bd7fc41d31225b28bb77\" "\\"Underground")
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