Fringe Monkey

Michael Shafar (Inappropriate): An interesting mix of social comment & personal anecdote (including an odd "viral" story). The material is well-worked with all the fat trimmed off & the callbacks aren't crowbarred in. No real theme but it's a decent use of your time. PWYW. 3/5

Heather Marulli: It's her 1st Fringe & I'm sure she'll learn a lot during the run. We don't need to go into specifics but it's fair to say that this show needs a bit of work. And I think it's best to leave it at that. 1/5

What Men Want: A split bill featuring Katie Green & Evaldas Karosas. The former describes it as a WIP & there's some note checking but the comic timing is good. The latter is a much slicker product, moving quickly through everyday topics with confidence. An accessible 50 mins. Free Fringe. 3/5

Susan Harrison: It's character comedy so expect wigs & accents. Her background includes improv so there's significant audience interaction, culminating in an improv game with a punter that goes as badly as you would expect. The mature crowd were oddly thrilled by it all tho. 2/5

Gareth Mutch: He's incredibly relaxed on stage. There's no theme but the first half concentrates on learning to drive, then he moves on to shorter storytelling bits. He swears like a man with scant regard for delicate souls or, indeed, word economy. The room is very warm. 2/5

Chris Scott: Delivery is robust. There's no theme or segues, each bit barrels straight into the next. The material covers everyday subjects with the occasional impressive flourish, but also includes the 1st outing this Fringe for the old "...then it's you" hack joke. PWYW. 2.5/5

Andy Barr: Adam Bloom's book on standup talks about the material fitting the character & that's the issue here. These whimsical flights of fancy don't suit the person delivering them. They're unconvincing, almost jarring. I wish him well for the future. 2/5

Vulnerable White Passing Male: Delivery is energetic & skittish - sentences often don't get finished. The theme of male role models is vaguely present in this mix of social comment & personal anecdote. It's reasonably successful, generic standup with an American focus. 3/5

Seymour Mace: He's on new medication so this is slightly more cohesive than recent efforts. Expect stupid props, daft endeavours & expletive-rich surreal rambling. He's a genuine oddity & this might be mainly for existing fans but could be worth a punt for the adventurous. 3/5

Jake Baker: The theme is loosely "how to be a modern man". Delivery is gentle & slightly hesitant & he wears his beta male status with pride. The writing is solid & the gag rate can't be faulted. He excuses it as a "sort of work in progress" but there's nothing to complain about. FF. 3.5/5

Consider yourself added to the spreadsheet!

Topical Comedian: His excuse for reading off cards is that it's topical/newly-written. Diana, Jeffrey Archer, Truss, Jan 6th - you know, topical. The script is a mix of vague statements, simplistic misunderstandings & worst of all, puns, delivered to a persistent silence. FF. 1/5

Any Objections?: She calls it "harp-based shenanigans" which about covers it. 3 songs, some lovely playing & a bit of loop pedal mullarkey. Her main skill, it's probably fair to say, isn't comedy but she gets by. The last 3rd goes slightly awry with a quiz & then some baffling astronaut stuff. 2/5

Edy Hurst: This is extremely broad comedy (think children's show or pantomine). There's some physical comedy, clowning, titting about with props & shouting. So much shouting. Initially about witch trials, it takes a turn 50 mins in & becomes exclusively about The Venga Boys. 2/5

Adam Bromley: This is remarkable but not in a good way. The loose theme is catastrophising but it's not dwelled on. He covers his drinking (as he did last year), then there's audience participation - revealing fears, waving a flag & pretending to be a dragon. Incredibly poor. 1/5

Aww cheers man! Delighted you enjoyed it.

SMUT: This is a camp extravaganza of graphic sexual content with burlesque elements. It's a very theatrical character piece - the script is not strongly comedic in itself. The performance can't be faulted but I'm surprised it's not in the Cabaret section. Not for the prudish. 2/5

Liam Farrelly: It's personal, anecdotal standup of a solid standard. Oddly, he remains seated, hunched, for the whole show, which limits his options for expressing himself. There's no theme, too many fucks and he ends abruptly but it's a decent effort. 3/5

Tim Biglowe: Expect fairly generic anecdotal standup, interspersed with crowdwork sections. All the bits are quite short so we're not on any topic for long & some end abruptly. He seems relatively new to comedy & will doubtless be a better comic by the end of the run. FF. 2/5

Yukata Cowboy: I might have dreamt this. He has a deadpan Moldovan opener do 20 mins (she's actually ok) then, what I assume is an Andy Kaufman character, does the remaining 24 mins of the hour. When he wants to add emphasis, he turns his baseball cap around. No. Just no. 1.5/5

Friz Frizzell: It's an odd mix. Very short song parodies (an Aldi Adam Kay?) plus assorted tales of personal illness/medical challenges. You could argue that the former should be more to the fore but he keeps things moving. Worth a punt if you want a stupid laugh at 4pm. Free Fringe. 3/5

Seaton Smith: He starts fast. We cover the rich, abortion, trans, Biden & Jews in the first 6 mins. Delivery is rapid & energetic & transitions consist of him pausing for one whole second. There's no theme but he tackles longer bits slightly less successfully as the set winds down. 3.5/5

Mary O'Connell: It's presented as a character piece (a theatrically-delivered monologue). She's shallow & selfish (or "high maintenance"). You better be on board as that's all she really talks about - the young female crowd certainly were. I failed to empathise with her "struggles".

Clayton Smith: He's come from Yuma, Arizona via NYC & I hope he's enjoying himself. The material is autobiographical with some tangents & a LOT of act outs. The last one dissolves into a meta dissection of itself & would require quite a skilled comic to pull it off. PWYW. 2/5

Rob Auton: He's tweaked the format slightly but fans of this Fringe institution shouldn't be concerned. He's still a charismatic oddity, utilising beautiful language & an almost hypnotic delivery to celebrate humanity in a life-affirming way. He could probably start a cult. I'd join. 4/5

Dylan Adler:

Genre: Musical Comedy
Song Quality: High
Material: Autobiographical
Performance: Polished, Exuberant
Gayness Level: Dangerously High
Audience Pre-requisites: Knowledge of Musical Theatre (optional), Queerness (optional)
Kimono: Yes
Backflip: Yes
Rating: 3.5/5

Rory O Hanlon: He's a Fringe regular & this is by-the-book accessible, anecdotal standup. He chats amiably with the crowd, often launching into travel anecdotes/cultural stereotype material, all done with a keen ear for accents. You could do worse if you have a gap to fill. PWYW. 3/5

Gavin Webster: It feels old-fashioned with its dad jokes, puns, posh-voice mockery & harking back to the 70s (Acker Bilk gets referenced FFS). Over the accessible set he's always progressive in his views, while insisting that his opinions are irrelevant. His crowd adore him. 3/5

Now two shows back to back have mentioned Wayne Lineker. We're not even a week in.

James Trickey: Delivery is smooth & material is mostly solid. Unsurprisingly there's no distinct comic voice but his unusual parental setup provides fertile ground for comment. He doesn't waste much time on transitions but it's a minor quibble. An accessible, pleasing hour. 3.5/5