list.co.uk/festival Reviews | FESTIVAL COMEDY
E N R O H T A L L U E V E T S
JOHN-LUKE ROBERTS Refreshingly random stand-up ●●●●●
PAUL F TAYLOR An unhinged, dizzying but quality hour ●●●●● SIGHT GAGS FOR PERVERTS Zig zagging through a warped world ●●●●●
A welcome deviation from the numerous observational comedy shows at the Fringe, the talented John-Luke Roberts performs a refreshingly random set aided by his various quirky (and extremely well-drawn) illustrations and props. He occasionally slips into different characters,
most of whom are called Alan, but some of these skits aren’t representative of his obvious abilities. He’s at his best when being wonderfully weird, delivering punchy one-liners and indulging in some clever wordplay. Prospective audience members should prepare themselves for the ‘Extraordinary Alphabet Routine’, some species-reassignment chat, how marriage may have panned out for an immortal Henry VIII and the first time a performance of Johnny Cash’s ‘Hurt’, has made anyone laugh. The more of this stuff the better.
A large portion of the show involves the comedian systematically insulting members of his audience with some pre-prepared zingers recited from a stack of cue cards. He then takes pity on the crowd and ends up directing his anger at an apple. It sounds potentially cringe-inducing but thankfully, Roberts manages to pull it off. (Katy Spry) ■ The Voodoo Rooms, 226 0000, until 25 Aug, 4.15pm, free.
Having picked his show title for the Fringe brochure back in March, Paul F Taylor spent the intervening months searching for a mysterious Chinese man to buy The Greatest Show in the World Ever from. Cue a dodgy accent and a not-so-mysterious looking shoebox. Though the ‘greatest show’ bit doesn’t quite work out, this is a scatter shot jumble of brilliantly funny nonsense that tumbles from Taylor’s brain. With very few linking devices and in the manner of an overgrown child, Taylor giddily performs an hour of material about greedy seagulls, cats who are like baked products and impressions of caterpillars in queues. But deceptively hidden within the apparent chaos are a series of convoluted call-backs: one about reserving seats with items of clothing that turns into one about jacket potatoes then pregnant women with their partner’s coats on their shoulders.
The dizziness belies plenty of snappy one-liners too; on the quiet, Taylor clearly knows what he’s doing. It’s a busy and slightly unhinged mind that comes up with these routines and yet he manages to wrap up proceedings surprisingly neatly. Great stuff. (Marissa Burgess) ■ Dram House Upstairs, 226 0000, until 24 Aug, 7.30pm, free.
John Kearns is a very strange man. Judging by the fright wig, false teeth and opening ‘musical’ number, you know this isn’t going to be conventional stand- up. The Guardian review that he mentions here is right on the money: there are no jokes per se, more a series of uncomfortable moments strung together with random non sequiturs and very weird confessions. But somehow it makes for a vaguely coherent
show fuelled by the audience’s nervous energy. It may zig and zag but everything eventually comes together in a well-crafted, warped kind of way. While his character is a grotesque exaggeration, you get the impression there are kernels of truth hidden amongst the insanity. There are echoes of Charlie Chuck and Angelos Epithemiou here, but John Kearns is darker, more intense.
The quality does dip but there are moments of utterly sublime absurdist genius (particularly a lonely trip to Berlin and a dance routine based on . . . well, to say too much would ruin the surprise), while it all ends with a chaotic, strangely life-affirming moment of male bonding soundtracked by Bruce Springsteen. (Henry Northmore) ■ The Voodoo Rooms, 226 0000, until 25 Aug, 5.05pm, free.
TONY LAW Nonsense overdrive from Canadian wag ●●●●●
For years, Tony Law has peddled his own unique brand of hardcore whimsy at the Fringe, to varying degrees of enthusiasm and indifference. Staying power (and probably a few more high-profile TV appearances) have ensured that he has finally captured widespread attention. In the face of this, Law tries to please die-hard fans and newcomers alike. He succeeds.
He opens his hour with a laser light show and quickly things are off to a familiar start as he presides over barely corralled mayhem. Like Eddie Izzard, the fun is to see Law wind himself up before totally unravelling as he stops and starts narratives, backtracks and visibly relishes thwarting the trad joke structure. Over the last couple of years, Law has worked more traditional
material into his shows under the pretence that he is incapable of performing, say, observational anecdotes about being a new parent or poo gags. The self-effacement is a bluff and he manages to breathe fresh life into old joke fodder: his suggestions for a new female superhero are spot-on. Like fellow Fringe stalwart Simon Munnery, Law manages to
appear other-worldly rather than human. There is no trace of there being anything behind the performance – no archness or insecurity – so it seems as if anything can happen. His own superpower is making the audience feel they are part of something special.
Law doesn’t have to work particularly hard to win over a sold- out Stand, but does anyway, utilising his whole bag of tricks as well as throwing in some call-backs to previous shows. Having achieved wider appeal without diluting his signature style, this comedy lunatic needn’t go to space to be showered with stars: the reviewers will do that for him. (Suzanne Black) ■ The Stand, 558 7272, until 26 Aug, 12.40pm, £10 (£8); Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, 25 Aug, 7.40pm, £12.
22 Aug–19 Sep 2013 THE LIST 103