DEMETRI MARTIN NEXT ISSUE OUT Quiet laughter is the best medicine 0000
In a return to the kind of structured. presentation-heavy show from which he departed for last year‘s delightful These Are Jokes. our favourite New
RYAN pAULSON York math nerd Demetri Martin illustrates how he is being treated tor a Touching tale of God and gmmends condition that causes him to be disconnected from reality. Through the g... Institute of Advanced Personhood's Dr Earnest Parrot. whose voice and shadow puppet form appear from time to time. he has learnt that when
For the matter t' ' .. l" f' ‘7 someone‘s heart is broken (in his case. the girl Martin liked at school Megan's" arii 'l‘: .1 l‘:"' u w‘ V" '* li- preferred a kid who was good at sports). a piece of their brain breaks off sire”; .-.«ai' .w‘he' :r‘ t r ;' ~" and gets lodged in space. It forms a ‘brain nook‘. which becomes an shew :)li1{:i‘\l'llli1l a :;u tm imaginary place that includes Procrasti Nation and the Forest of Jokes. singing .ll)’i'.ii ha. '1; .: 'r‘ww i v Hes where patients go to escape uncomfortable situations. Howe/er. PM.» ."2 r a 1 Dr Parrot advises him that he must share key moments of his life with slit/tie and wilt, trig, T'li’ ,_.:ir Rm. people in order to make a connection. Along the way we get some typically Paulsoii's mung -‘,-,r.;,e':ei «er, 2' unusual and gentle observations, including a lot of special material (with church. lhe f;lll)]ér(il i'iafte' if shear- '~.;; brilliant photographic examples and contemplative songs) about how hard in tongues and greasrl. anariwiativ it is to be cool. delivered with truly touching warmth. He talks about how,
of the (if,f,(:llll)l(}(l. Missiisl lllobiii l eel pastors is lisualli, f3ll(:‘.'."‘i as a grates iui- instead of writing ‘LOL‘ in emails. he writes ‘LQTM': ‘Iaugh quietly to
I (/lldullflf/flf oft/o [.18 ($05-$33! (WM 87 circus on teletimcr. but Patilsoi‘ otters myself’. And this show, for all his brilliance. provides more of the latter than
Aug, asap/n. Ho 5‘]? (lir‘iirl‘IUl. touching. ambiguous peiscizal insight the former, which is perfect in more intimate spaces but seems less suited
Born into a (L(Jlllllltll‘.lty descended to the larger venues that Martin‘s well deserved popularity demands. That
ANDREW MAXWELL trorii Scaiidinawan settlers. F’aulscii has said, he’s still one of the most engaging comics around. (Ashley Davies)
Being led down a Iane Of laughter trouble knowing when Jesus is talking I l/dJe'b‘I l l ‘i, i "-27% - ~ : .'.' . "1., 1 i -’ : " ‘ ' ' ' i ' '
.... to llllll. whether April Hansen loves him. 15'.“ so .’~ l7
Andrew Maxwell seeriis to find hiiiiselt and why Jesus chooses hiiii tor a
in the most awkward of social pastor when the golden boy ot the
situations. l or the regular person on the congregation is sat right next to hurt. A
street. such scrapes would be close to case of mistaken identity"? Perhaps. As
liViiig hells. but for the lush iapester, it's he confesses at the end. it's much more
tantamount to extensive research. Last interesting to talk to other people than
year he spoke of being surrounded and Jesus, because they talk back.
chased by tans ot a Glasgow Rangers (Robin leel
persuasion who had taken offence to I Gilded Ba/loo/i Tev/ot, (568 1685‘, unti/
his leprechaun like baiting of them. 88 Aug, 4.30pm, l‘r‘£.:'i()~l‘.<).:3()
lhis year he has tales to tell ol being (57.507 58:30).
led away in a speeding car in the Middle last only todiscovei that it was not in tact Al Qaeda who were whisking hiiii into the desert. lo reveal their identity would be to ruin the Joke. but I can say that he is also later led up a dark alley by some Cape lown killers for a night's imbibing and much material. In many other hands the delivery of these scenarios would be seamlesst tuniiy. With Maxwell. it's coiiiic genius and though there are a few silly lulls and a strangulattxl start to the show, his powers reriiain unabated. (Brian Donaldson)
I Pleasa/ice (Jot/Ityard, 5:36 (5550. until 1‘8 Aug. 8. 10pm; 2:3 8 26 Aug]. 77.80p/7l. 5‘] 1.504124%) (HO—5‘7 I).
,1 x: " be; THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 75