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Will Franken: Concert to Benefit The Victims of My Father

Note: This review is from 2013

Review by Steve Bennett

Will Franken was one of the sleeper hits of last year’s festival, with his quickfire, fragmented character comedy taking a pointedly absurd look at Middle America.

Well, he lives in the UK now, so a lot more of his twisted scenarios take place in this country. And has certainly been no slouch in picking up all manner of accurate if exaggerated regional accents – even if he hasn’t quite managed to figure out how to pronounce Abergavenny.

The show starts, a little sluggishly, with some relatively straightforward sketches, from the one-gag opener to the hopeful graduate from the Ha Ha Laugh Laugh Funtime Comedy College. They’re a mixed bunch, but the tongue-tied corporate executive falteringly delivering an annual report is a turning point.

Franken runs a warped observational comedy alongside strange narrative scenes. Of current affairs, the BBC’s strife is mined, imagining the entire staff has been arrested for rape, paedophilia or tax evasion, and it’s left to the janitor to keep the broadcaster going. It’s not especially savage satire, but it is topical. More astute is his prevaricating US senator, spouting meaningless homilies such as ‘I believe in values’ that sums up the state of conviction-free professional politics.

Franken has a great ear for character, and he whips through the episodes so fast you need to stay alert to the ever-changing cast of oddballs he evokes. Meanwhile the sketches are so dense they seem impenetrable by outside forces. That actually proves a stumbling block when he wants to break through the fourth wall to chat to us, a step away from the runaway train that the rest of the show resembles.

The scenes are smart, and he pulls a few adept tricks such as foreshadowing a breaking of character for some post-modern deconstruction of the process. He slows down towards the end, with a deliberately long-winded firefighter sketch, just to show he’s not all about dazzling with speed.

Franken is possibly more interesting than funny in his sophomore show, but there are still some strong lines and amusingly strange creations. And as a showcase for his ability as a versatile character act, he couldn’t want for a more convincing calling card.

Review date: 5 Aug 2013
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett

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