Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

It’s a shame Will Sebag-Montefiore has hit his stride as a satirical musical comedian just as The Now Show has finished, as his jaunty parodies would have been the perfect fit for the slot in the long-running Radio 4 show where Mitch Benn made his name.

His original songs and rewrites of hits are not reinventing the genre, but he does them remarkably well, keeping the lyrics and the performance tight. Unashamedly mainstream, the show barrels along, upbeat and entertaining at every turn, with the comic’s gentle self-deprecation making this a welcoming place.

‘Topical’ is probably a better label than ‘satirical’ as he uses public figures and the image of them everybody in the audience already has to short-cut to each punchline, rather than  going for insight or novelty. It’s very much ‘imagine if all the party leaders were on a stag do together’ level of humour – and that is an actual example from the show.

He recreates Rishi Sunak’s rain-lashed announcement of the snap election, adopts the persona of a Tory MP to sing about lockdown parties and channels  Nigel Farage channeling Eminem for a new version of Without Me.  Sebag-Montefiore is far better rapper than he is an impersonator, but he keeps on giving it a crack anyway, in the playful spirit of the hour.

The most scorn is heaped on hateful grifter Laurence Fox, though it’s way less than he deserves, and Russell Brand for tuning into a misinformation factory as certain allegations swirled. Sebag-Montefiore deals in the sort witty attacks this duo often attract on liberal Twitter - but the fact that very few in the room were aware of a reasonably well-publicised bit of news about Brand finding Jesus suggests there is an educational element to the show. Keeping the miscreants’ misdeeds in the spotlight is a public service.

Indeed, he addresses the complaint levelled at many a political comic that they are merely ‘preaching to the choir’.  There’s truth in that, but getting together for a shared laugh at the state of the world and those at the top of it has a cathartic effect, and that’s  a job the gregarious Sebag-Montefiore does with consummate skill, even if he’s not the man to lead a revolution, neither in politics or in comedy.

Review date: 8 Aug 2024
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Underbelly Bristo Square