At the Chortle Fast Fringe showcase

July 2008

Original Review:

He bills himself as both an anthropologist and a misanthrope, presenting a well-observed study of people ‘… who are all dicks’. And that about sums it up. He doesn’t have the confidence in real-life for any sort of confrontation with the yobs, so instead he channels it into comedy.

It would be easy to go down the grumpy young man route, harrumphing about how the world’s going to pot. And, indeed, in this debut show he despairs for the pond life who hit the streets, and the booze, in his native Port Talbot on a Saturday night, whether Burberry-clad chavs or orange-faced slags, both of whom he describes with sharp, witty metaphor.

But he seems more baffled than angry at such culture. He generally takes a more softly-softly approach that can even make a description of hardcore pornography surprisingly sweet. He is as far as you can imagine from a shock-jock comic.

His subdued approach does mean the show lacks a certain energy, which means there is little performance techniques to bolster some of the less assured sections – which are few, but noticeable. On the other hand, his very ordinariness is his appeal; he’s just like most of his audience, vulnerable and unsure, not some brash, bulletproof showman.

It makes for a warm, performance of some nice routines, employing a skilful turn of phrase. An hour seems a bit of a stretch for him, just four years after winning the Chortle student comedy award with seven minutes. But then what’s the fringe about, if not stretching yourself.

Reviewed by: Steve Bennett