Todd Barry: American Hot
Live Review

Todd Barry was last at the Fringe seven years ago, and as he sardonically notes he ‘had such a good time’ that it’s taken him all this time to slink back, in a far-from-primetime afternoon slot for only half a run. It’s a very low-key affair from a well-respected US stand-up whose credits, including Flight Of The Conchords, Louis CK’s sitcom and The Wrestler movie, could have secured him a much more exposure.

But low-key is what Barry does. Deadpan’s too active an adjective to describe his slowly creeping delivery and fatigued attitude. He’s also pretty slow when it comes to writing new material, as a lot of the routines here have been knocking around for a few years and featured on previous CD releases. Fans who seek him out might have wanted more new gags than greatest hits.

Mind you, he has got some great hits: about a plumbing disaster in his home, about bad gigs he’s endured and bizarre comments about his timing, and a visit to a Forrest Gump-themed restaurant in his native New York, among others. Derision is usually the punchline, his heavy pauses building expectation for the withering, weary sarcasm that will inevitably follow as he devastatingly undermines another stupid comment, whether it be from a previous audience member, service staff or online.

Yet the slow pacing also means the audience never gets lost in laughter, it’s always a patient wait for the next wring of the funny flannel. Barry acknowledges his weaknesses and the audience’s reaction, commenting after one lull is brought to an end: ‘We’re back in business with that joke.’ A wry, self-referential introductory video similarly plays with the idea that an introductory video is cheating the audience out of the stand-up they paid to see.

His trademark style does have its upside, though, lodging the jokes firmly in the brain, so you may find yourself fondly recalling lines a few days later when comedians that gave you a more instant gratification have faded from memory.

There is some new stuff, too; a main piece being based on an Esquire magazine article entitled How To Feel Good To A Woman, full of ridiculous, smug advice only a high-end lifestyle magazine could pull off. He reads it out, with commentary – ‘because reading it without commentary would be cheating’ – even though plenty of the tips are inherently funny, being so far from most people’s genuine experience. However, it provides perfect fodder for his drowsy distain.

Barry’s apparent lack of enthusiasm for Edinburgh probably means he won’t be rushing back; but then again he does seem to have a lack of enthusiasm for pretty much everything.