Iszi Lawrence: Matter Of Tact – Fringe 2009
Live Review

If comedy had an easy listening section then Iszi Lawrence would be one of its surest purveyors. An hour of comedy about old cats, Christian schools and Alan Rickman’s accent are never going to push any boundaries but its pleasant background noise that isn’t going to overly test the grey matter.

Lawrence herself is a dependable performer, who is enjoyable to watch. She has a good sense of how far she can push her audience with horrendously contrived puns that are so bad they are guaranteed to elicit a groan followed by a chuckle. She seems to seek safety in these and will veer away from more promising material in order to secure a definite response from something base rather than to push her comfort zone and reach for something more interesting.

She will try to venture into more complex topics and is proud to be a Methodist atheist, she tiptoes round the rather trendy topic of atheism but is too half-hearted with her convictions to build any passion and produce much that is notable. However, her suggestion of what heats heaven’s spas is an insight into where her more controversial side could lead, and it’s a much funnier destination than the ponderous speculation about God’s role in the 2007 floods.

There is little linking her barrage of topics with Japanese porn, Dracula, tampons and frogs all getting a mention which adds to the impression she is seeking guaranteed easy laughs over anything too deep or thought-provoking. This is fine for a free show but I feel she is squandering her talent and wasting her good eye for the slightly darker side of funny.

She could do with dropping the Dawkinseque references to the hugeness and beauty of the natural world being greater than anything supernatural, it has been done to death and any potential fans will recognise sections from the evolutionary scientist’s Unweaving The Rainbow in her spiel. Much more interesting is the insight she has into the Islamic festivals and Arabic language from her Moroccan stepmother, something fresh and unique she can add to the atheist brigade’s line up.

There are some belting lines strewn amongst the comedy Musak and with some work and attention to the area’s where she could shine then Lawrence can build on this decent Edinburgh debut.