list.co.uk/festival Reviews | F E S T I VA L C O M E DY
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JACK TUCKER: COMEDY STAND-UP HOUR Lumpen hour about a lame comic ●●●●●
When Les Dawson played the piano terribly, it was so convincing only because he was very accomplished on that instrument. Zach Zucker has energy to burn and technical physical ability in spades, but whether he has the innate stand-up ability to pull off being a deliberately awful solo comedian is open to debate. Best known for his semi-surrealist tomfoolery with stage partner Viggo, in the last couple of years he’s produced his own anti-comedy sets in which audiences have been sorely put to the test.
Here, he’s created a more obvious persona, Jack Tucker, a terrible comic with an opinion of himself way out of proportion with his qualities who is best described as a Neil Hamburger on more uppers and brimming with desperation. But while Hamburger’s addled misanthropy is textured and compelling, Zucker / Tucker simply irritates with repetitive sound effects and infantile ‘jokes’.
In order to break up the less than distinguished mugging, the scene occasionally switches to his tortured inner monologue, where he wishes he was somewhere else on the planet . . . sometimes jokes can write themselves. (Brian Donaldson) n Underbelly Cowgate, until 25 Aug (not 14), 9.20pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).
FERN BRADY: POWER AND CHAOS A theme-free hour of sparkling comedy ●●●●●
Previously Fern Brady has addressed how the public perceives her and how she perceives herself, coming across as alternately confident and riddled with self- doubt. All that seems to have been cast away for this year’s show, in which Brady owns the stage with an effortless authority. More importantly, she looks like she’s enjoying herself. Jumping from topic to topic with no need of
conceits or even sticking to a theme, everything Brady turns her coruscating gaze upon falls prey to her comedic powers. Her hour features perceptions of the Scottish to her courting online infamy by baiting the DUP, as well as her thoughts on how to deal with catcalling and the ethics of using videos of cute baby animals as a mood enhancer.
The title of her show is Power and Chaos, with Brady exhibiting oodles of the former while seemingly having left the latter behind. This is an accomplished demonstration of a comedian ably balancing the relatable with the provocative and the personal with the political. Her run is close to being sold out but luckily she’s about to embark on a UK tour as well as having filmed a stand-up special for Live from the BBC. (Suzanne Black) n Monkey Barrel, until 25 Aug (not 12), 6pm, £7–£10 in advance or donations at the venue.
NJAMBI MCGRATH: ACCIDENTAL COCONUT Engaging but sketchy look at African identities ●●●●●
At comedy shows, audiences fearful that they’ll become the focus of a sharp joke, tend to refuse to populate the first few rows. Njambi McGrath, however, is quick to make the crowd feel safe in her hands. ‘I don’t pick on friends,’ she says, as she easily convinces half the room to move closer. McGrath has a magnetic personality, and the confident manner in which she delivers the introduction to Accidental Coconut (covering black stereotypes and the racist connotations of the term ‘coconut’) elicits easy laughter. The irony of delivering an hour on the effects of the British Empire on African identity to a majorly white and British audience is ever present, but it doesn’t seem to intimidate the Kenyan comedian. If anything, she takes the opportunity to educate less historically inclined minds, an aspect of the set that she perhaps stretches too thin; at points, Accidental Coconut feels more like a university lecture than a comedy show.This, coupled with a slightly overused catchphrase, are the staples of a show still finding its feet. But the first half indicates that it’s well on its way there. (Sofia Matias) n Just the Tonic at Marlin’s Wynd, until 23 Aug (not 12), 4.05pm, donations at the venue.
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JESSICA FOSTEKEW: HENCH Strong show about language, gender and Nordic walking ●●●●●
When Jessica Fostekew was harassed at her local gym and called a ‘hench’, she decided to take assertive action in the only way she could possibly think of: she wrote an excellent Fringe show about it. If you were called ‘hench’, chances are you might have to look up the word. Those who frequent the world of personal trainers and body building will know that this is a technical term for someone who has well-developed muscles. And is a man.
So this Hench has Fostekew darting from subject to subject with agility and skill, discussing feminist flirting (very different from the toxically masculine variety), the cult of Nordic walking which has ensnared her mother (whose unofficial motto is ‘grace and composure’ resulting in occasional conflict with her offspring), and the ways in which her son has established himself as a three-year-old sexist. Language and gender stereotyping are at the core of this show,
with one of her son’s grandads being a firm example of a man for whom blue is for boys and pink is for girls. Fostekew largely has to bite her tongue on how this might be shaping her son, but she’s more outspoken on the diet industry and the hypocritical attitudes shown towards athlete Caster Semenya (she’s still having legal battles about her testosterone levels) when compared to the non-issue of swimmer Michael Phelps’ atypical biology (he’s an Olympic hero, pure and simple). A show for different comedy tastes, when things get too thinky,
there’s always the hysterical grand guignol sequence about her giving birth to keep the other constituency happy. After a fine run of shows, Jessica Fostekew is ramping up the quality, and for this Fringe she proves to be as much of a powerhouse on stage as she is on a squat bench. (Brian Donaldson) n Monkey Barrel, until 25 Aug (not 12), 1.30pm, £5 in advance or donations at the venue.
7–14 Aug 2019 THE LIST FESTIVAL 53