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The Boothby Graffoe Show

Note: This review is from 2000

Review by Steve Bennett

It's a good job that Boothby Graffoe is such an effortlessly funny comic, as it seems very little actual effort has gone into this particular show.

In fact, this appears to be an hour designed more for his entertainment than the audience's.

He gets to hang out with his mate Stephen Frost, and can share the stage with a hero, the immensely talented guitarist Antonio Forcione.

The shambolically under-rehearsed sketches between Frost and Graffoe are especially guilty of selling the audience short. At £9 a ticket, it's probably not too much to expect the performers to have some idea what they are doing.

Forcione, however, is clearly a genius. So good he can even play his instrument upside-down, his astonishing display proved a real discovery for the rapt audience.

All of which left what seemed a remarkably short amount of time for Graffoe's relaxed stand-up routine.

Smart and funny, he is one of the finest comics around - and this strong, confident set certainly reinforced that reputation.

But as a show, this is more a slice of comfortable light entertainment than the cutting-edge comedy Edinburgh audiences usually seek.

 

Review date: 1 Jan 2000
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett

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