Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

James Barr jokes that he used to do dick jokes but now he does trauma –but actually he does both. And bum jokes and cum jokes and his-own-mum jokes.

This is a moving and candid stand-up show about his experience of having been in an abusive relationship. His former boyfriend, with whom he had a flamingo (adopted) and dog, and whom Barr’s mother adored, used to beat him when he was angry.

He could be triggered by the most unexpected things, on one occasion lashing out after Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Harry and Meghan. Things got so bad that Barr began to withdraw from friends and family, all while having to maintain a cheerful and witty demeanour while hosting his breakfast radio show. As he phrases it, he put his feelings on mute.

And, as anyone who’s had any experience with domestic abuse will relate to, he started to doubt himself, wondering whether what was happening actually counted as abuse. Besides, when you love someone so much and want to fix them, leaving doesn’t always feel easy or right.

 It was a complicated situation and Barr acknowledges the need for all the contradictory feelings to sit together. Above all, he says he’s doing this show because he doesn’t want anyone else to experience what he went through.

So how does he make it funny? Well, his approach is to pepper the whole thing with jokes and funny stories. A bit of light here, a bunch of shade there. We dip in and out of these states, along the way, hearing some outrageous stories of revenge and attempted solutions, with good-natured crowd work and a bucketload of smut. 

It’s a brave show, with lots of laughs and a great deal of charm. 

Review date: 17 Aug 2024
Reviewed by: Ashley Davies
Reviewed at: Underbelly Bristo Square