FESTIVAL COMEDY | Reviews
24 HOURS WITH MARY LYNN RAJSKUB The 24 star patches through a likeable, inventive debut ●●●●●
Better known to some as Chloe from TV show 24, Mary Lynn Rajskub proves she also has skills in rubbery faced, relatable, confessional stand-up too. Although the senior intelligence analyst she played in the series was often furrowed of brow and deadly serious (Googling her reveals the nickname ‘potato face’ on fan forums), Rajskub is far looser and more playful in real life. Despite her anxiety about Fringe crowds, she’s a natural on
stage, connecting fast with her audience, although perhaps not with the man near the front who sniggers when she mentions her seven-year-old son is called Valentine. ‘I will fucking kill you,’ she glares at him, returning once in a while to give him the stink eye. Zero knowledge of 24 is required, as most of this hour is about
Rajskub’s personal life; in particular, recent doubts about her husband, who was initially a rebound she ended up getting pregnant with and marrying. Mundane details paint a picture of the string of events which brought on a minor existential meltdown: anodyne small talk with her husband about DIY, having a depressing run-in with one 24 fan in a toilet, lusting after a yoga teacher with a man bun: ‘it was the good kind’, she insists sheepishly, backing it up with a quick slide show.
There are lighter, less unhinged shades of Miranda July in her quirky, workaday anecdotes about panic-purchasing a miniature horse in an attempt to reverse her fate, or accidentally hospitalising her son through good intentions. There’s no tearful epiphany, no violent car-crash moment: more like a nagging doubt she’s driving someone else’s car and disappointed by a crushing lack of decent conversation from the passenger seat. Equal parts withering and vulnerable, this is likeably dry, understated, frank and funny storytelling. (Claire Sawers) ■ Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until 28 Aug (not 15), 8.20pm, £11–£12 (£9–£10).
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JOHN ROBERTSON: ARENA SPECTACULAR! Making his stadium gig dreams come true ●●●●● BRENNAN REECE Poignant and wonderful Fringe debut from an archetypal outsider ●●●●●
MADDY ANHOLT: RENT GIRL Puntastic contemporary morality tale about the choices we have to make ●●●●●
There aren't many one-man shows with this level of energy throughout. John Robertson bursts into a room where no one is safe, whether you’re in the back row or if you’re one of his three reviewers. Generally known for The Dark Room (the interactive show that’s so thrilling that it's induced at least one panic attack), for Arena Spectacular!, Robertson has decided he wants to do a stadium gig and given he reckons he's too weird and too much of a pervert for anyone to let him, he's created one for himself with some shiny paper and a surprise ending.
But for all this bluster, what is truly special about Robertson is his ability to beautifully craft a great gag on the spot. He claims to have no theme this year as no one close to him has died, whether it be via cancer or suicide. But he doesn't need one: all this is breathlessly funny throughout regardless.
As well as being highly skilled in milking an observation for a big laugh, he's an interesting guy, dressed like a natty goth / Victorian undertaker with plenty tales of sex-dungeon birthday treats. And you can't go wrong with a man who weaves Nick Cave into a joke, can you? (Marissa Burgess) ■ The Stand 2, 558 9005, until 28 Aug (not 15), 3.40pm, £9 (£8).
52 THE LIST FESTIVAL 11–18 Aug 2016
There might be two things you already know about Brennan Reece. He was the 2015 English Comedian of the Year and there’s online footage of him being pinned down on stage by a heckler of senior years. To those you can add that he’s performing a superb debut Fringe hour in a bunker.
The tightness of this room is a perfect fit for
Everglow, an intimate show packed full of ideas, imagery and gags with Reece succeeding in channelling his natural energy for good. He also has a way of bringing a crowd into play without disturbing the flow of his narrative. That story’s underlying theme is about how we
should get rid of the expectations which are flung at us from an early age, and how this has left Reece feeling like an outsider. He also has a novelist’s way of discussing the human body, which he seems both fascinated and repelled by, whether it’s the ‘weird six-pack’ children sometimes have or the various parts of a lap dancer he encountered on a Bradford stag do. It’s also a poignant tale of family life down at the Reeces which lends this wonderful show a memorable finale. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 28 Aug, 6pm, £7.50–£10 (£7–£9.50).
This was an early show with a small, quiet crowd, but Maddy Anholt never let her energy levels drop. She playfully probes her crowd, needing that interaction for Rent Girl to work, particularly from a slightly reluctant stooge in the audience. A thoroughly engaging and warm storyteller, Anholt certainly likes her puns, one of which is the title: it’s not too much of a surprise to learn that she's not actually a call girl, just a woman trying to pay her rent in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Throughout the years of renting in London, her
mission has been to find a pad fit for a Persian princess, having discovered distant Middle-Eastern genes in her otherwise English / Dutch heritage. Do something dodgy for money requested by a guy on the internet or take a respectable job and live in a hovel? This is a morality tale for the 21st century. Though her comedy material isn't the strongest
around, there is plenty here to amuse. She's cheekily below the belt in places and unafraid to call kids ‘arseholes’ when need be. Plus the Dutch Jesus (aka Dad) who provides a moral compass is a nice touch. (Marissa Burgess) ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 29 Aug (not 15), 5.30pm, £10–£11 (£8.50–£9.50).