festival COMEDY
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P H O T O :
K A S H Y U S U F
REGINALD D HUNTER
20th anniversary of this rabble-rousing American’s Fringe debut
You could say that Reg D Hunter’s 20 years at the Fringe have been, at the very least, eventful. He’s slept in for his own gig (which was due to start at 8pm), been nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award twice, and was branded by a cage-rattling columnist as ‘the black Bernard Manning’. Arriving in the UK from his Albany, Georgia
home at the age of 27 in order to pursue a career in acting, it was the comedy bug he contracted after doing his i rst gig as a dare. Reaching the So You Think You’re Funny i nal in 1998 (also in that lineup was Dan Antopolski, Alex Zane and winner Rob Rouse) gave Hunter the impetus to plough forward and his 2018
show will be his 13th full Fringe hour.
An American Facing the Beast and Niggas continues his trend of contentious show titles which began with 2004’s A Mystery Wrapped in a Nigga and led to the poster for his 2006 Edinburgh and touring show, Pride and Prejudice and Niggas, being banned from the London Underground.
Love him or not, the preacher-man from the Deep South is always going to i nd an adoring audience in the Athens of the North. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Pleasance at EICC, 4–26 Aug (not 8, 14, 20), 8.30pm, £15.50–£17 (£14.50–£16). Previews 1–3 Aug, £9.
1–8 Aug 2018 THE LIST FESTIVAL 45 3–8 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 45