list.co.uk/festival Reviews | FESTIVAL COMEDY
P H O T O :
S T E V E U L L A T H O R N E
ADAM ROWE Self-aware and reflective set from rising star ●●●●●
JOHN LYNN: ADDICTION DICTION A comedy lesson in assured and edgy humour ●●●●● MAT EWINS: WHAT SORRY? MY MISTAKE! . . . Slick and gleefully entertaining show ●●●●●
It seems that Adam Rowe’s star is on the rise. Granted this was a Saturday night, but some of the people who didn’t secure their seat by buying a ticket were turned away from the venue. Rowe has been a reliable fixture on the north-west England comedy scene and beyond for a few years now and this hour proves why, as he keeps the gag rate up throughout. He takes us on a thoughtful meander through his life via a relationship with his girlfriend who isn’t The One but he still loves her to bits. Then there’s his tough background with parents who both drank, and his lazy eye that became bionic with a little help from an imaginative surgeon.
There’s no single grand theme here but several threads which weave throughout the show exploring class, love and the motivating power of fear. Rowe depicts a clash of cultures between him and his girlfriend: a confident middle-class girl from a twee village contrasts nicely with his savvy city wisdom and paranoia. Plus there’s an endearing heart-on-his- sleeve honesty in Rowe’s self-awareness, checking himself if what he’s said seems a little bit sexist or – heaven forfend – vegan-ist. (Marissa Burgess) ■ Just the Tonic at The Caves, until 26 Aug (not 13), 7.40pm, £5 in advance or donations at the venue.
Using a theme of life’s addictions enables John Lynn to loosely group together a bunch of largely disparate yet killer routines in this solid hour of stand-up. It’s easy to see why Lynn gigs all around the world; his is the kind of set that you can kick back and listen to, knowing that you’re in a safe pair of comedy hands. The man so clearly knows what he’s doing. Not that ‘safe’ means his material is without bite
though. Always staying on the right side of likeable, he mischievously pushes at the boundaries; there’s the analogy he uses of a woman he dated that initially appears to be old-school sexism but swiftly turns into something else, while there’s a particularly enjoyable taunting routine about looking after his young cousins and their burgeoning criminal activity. Aside from the top quality writing, he has a fantastic
delivery that betrays his training in acting. Lynn’s storytelling is languid and teasing, knowing exactly when to land his punchline with just the correct amount of measured diction and accompanying, elaborating mannerisms. For a simple comedy masterclass with no frilly Fringe bits, look no further. (Marissa Burgess) ■ The Stand’s New Town Theatre, until 26 Aug (not 14), 4.10pm, £10 (£9).
After securing an Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination last year for his ‘declaration of an independence from seriousness’, Mat Ewins is back with another hour of nonsense-filled comedy in this silly and entertaining show. It’s 2068, and Ewins is setting up a newspaper on
Mars. His clear USP lies in the use of animations, interactive visuals, cameras and video. Almost unbelievably slick, the technology helps create the future Martian world in which the show exists, and is used seamlessly to both construct and enhance the regular gags. With secondary characters on screen, Ewins’ clever animations become a novel part of a great double act between himself and his visuals.
Despite the absurdist, imagined narrative, Ewins’ humour isn’t always stupid. He touches on a host of current issues such as veganism, Twitter trolls, the rise of AI, and the colonisation of space, but in a refreshingly relaxed and jovial manner. This is one show that doesn’t take itself too seriously, doesn’t try to achieve too much, and instead offers the Edinburgh Fringe comedy programme something a little bit different. (Kenza Marland) ■ Just the Tonic at The Mash House, until 26 Aug (not 13), 8.50pm, £5 in advance or donations at the venue.
ELF LYONS: CHIFFCHAFF High calibre show which bristles at Brexit Britain ●●●●●
Who knew so many popular songs and showtunes were actually about finance? Elf Lyons – part comedian, part singer, part clown – promises a musical about the economy, and delivers much more. Combining characters, clowning and more personal material, she throws together skits, musical numbers and wise words from her dad that run the gamut from charming to bewildering. The songs are likewise eclectic, being drawn from multiple sources and keeping the energy levels high with accompanying dances which are joyously bizarre in their own right.
Lyons creates a dizzy, lisping ingenue character who flutters her eyelashes and coquettes it up, channelling Marilyn Monroe’s character in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes who uses a ditzy facade to hide her perspicacity about the importance of financial independence (albeit obtained through marriage or gifts of jewellery).
This violently clashes with Lyons’ more aggressive style at other times and, together, creates an off-kilter production that constantly threatens to veer off in any number of directions, despite her insistence on keeping to her dad’s advice about how to execute an effective talk. Her father’s thoughts on both economics and his daughter’s finances surface throughout the show, grounding and adding some heart to this otherwise esoteric conglomeration. Lyons works incredibly hard to bring to life a frenetic hour of barely contained chaos that mostly lands despite a few uneven spots. The result is an over-the-top spectacle of contemporary economics that somehow manages to combine lucid explanations of fiscal policy, references to 18th-century economist Adam Smith and US punk band Dead Kennedys, with high-calibre physical comedy. (Suzanne Black) ■ Pleasance Dome, until 27 Aug (not 13), 6.50pm, £8.50–£10.50 (£7.50–£9.50).
8–15 Aug 2018 THE LIST FESTIVAL 51