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Alun Cochrane is a Daydreamer (At Night) - Fringe 2009

Note: This review is from 2009

Review by Corry Shaw

A man gently wandering through his daydreams and ponderings may not sound like much of a way to spend an hour, but Alun Cochrane’s ability to make the little things in life a comedy goldmine is phenomenal.

Cochrane can be easily distracted by the myriad of little things in his life and although occasionally touching on the beauty of his relationship with his ‘now wife’ and his child, he does seem to focus more on such tiny insignificances as the makings of the perfect spag bol.

The delight that comes from the knowledge that he has a favourite gas ring on his cooker is comedy enough, without any kind of killer payoff and yet the punchlines come thick and fast. Subjects which may have once appeared unimportant suddenly reveal themselves to be fascinating and hilarious.

There is some beautifully observed tidbits combined with some extended surreal silliness involving an alternative home for snooker chalk. Cochrane eases fluidly between one-liners, surreal rants and anecdotes, with his willing audience powering him along with massive laughs.  His conversational style is comforting and his links seamless in the relaxed and jovial atmosphere that he has created. The blank and dour expression which he claims is his default setting only adds to the joy of the material.

Cochrane sums it up when he states that we will leave the show knowing we had fun but not remembering a single piece of material, and with gags ranging from rose wine to squishy faces it is difficult to keep count of the different ways this man can make you laugh.

There is no crashing crescendo, no pathos, no hidden meaning to soothe the soul, no climactic final point but what we do have is the most ridiculous and hilarious story about Pringle tubes, which I am positive will lead to several trips to A&E over the Fringe.

Cochrane seems very content to rant and natter about the smallest things and his audience are lifted up in the wave of his unbridled and joyous fixations.

Review date: 23 Aug 2009
Reviewed by: Corry Shaw

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