Brighton Fringe comedy review

The wall behind Ben O’Sullivan displays the Bermudan flag, the stage is littered with signs from a tiki bar, and we are all provided with leis, should we want to deck ourselves out for the full-on beach lifestyle.

Yet the only time he mentions any of this is when the backdrop falls down, during a show that has absolutely nothing to do with Bermuda. Not that tiki bars and leis are from that culture anyway….

That seems typical of his sense of humour, often favouring the confused laugh of a non-sequitur or conversational dead end over a firm joke.

His style is an Acaster-infused awkward absurdity – there’s a lot of this about among emerging acts – and he leans into it. To add to the socially uncertain vibe, his delivery is dry and stilted. You wouldn’t call him a natural, and he doesn’t find an easy connection with the audience, but he’s odd enough that we listen. 

A recurring trick emphasises the disparity of his lumbering maladroit presence massacring Gen Z slang phrases like ‘rizz up some bitches’, ‘it’s all Gucci’ or ‘this slays’.

The awkwardness is really the only aspect of himself he puts into the show, as he largely remains an enigmatic figure. ‘Feeling old’ at 31 isn’t much of a theme.

The pretty unremarkable fact that he had his ear pierced is the recurring gag, tacitly acknowledging it was a bid to make himself seem interesting and a manifestation of his need for validation. There are a few lines that star ‘getting a piercing is like…’ leading into each section, while many other segues are even more forced.

For example, a sizeable chunk about Hall & Oates – including having to explain who the 1980s musical duo are – leads only to a flaccid analogy which really wasn’t worth the trip. However, some kudos is due for him taking on such an odd topic.

Indeed, sometimes his outsider peculiarities distil into an amusingly quirky phrase, an identifiable punchline among the many ‘huhs?’ If only he could rebalance the hour with more of the former and less of the latter.

Review date: 6 May 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett