Edinburgh Fringe Festival: (August 2010)
Who knew a couple of days spent in the Land of The Rain could completely alter my perception of comedy..
Set in those beautifully dull streets of Reading, the local Second-hand sex shop becomes an active crime scene when a stolen vintage dildo, the Exocet, is proven to be the weapon in a string of violent murders. Yet again Brighton troupe Casual Violence had me in stitches and expecting to receive the ‘go straight to hell’ card. Despite my self-confessed dislike for obvious humour and ‘here-this-is-funny-laugh-now’ punch lines, the show had an unnervingly intense yet carefree attitude that toned even the most cliched of characters down to a subtle hilarity. The Baltimore cop, for example, and his spitting of cheese sandwiches was a friendly face for audience members in amongst a relatively dark and disturbing storyline. Likewise, as an audience member (aka. “James”) you felt a heart-warming pity for the reformed necrophiliac who first nervously approaches the shop hoping for a blow-up doll to take to dinner. The highlight of the show was, of course, that of backstreet (sex-toy) dealer Axl. Immediately injecting the performance with an energetic intensity that forced an awkward and on-edge atmosphere upon those watching. Complete with high-speed physicality and barking remarks such as “If you wanted a happy ending you should’ve gone to see the Railway Children”, Axl as a character stays in one’s mind long after leaving the theatre. Despite these squeamishly sinister and twisted elements it is impossible to maintain a straight face; if only in response to the cringing shudders and guilty half-laughs of those sat beside you. I highly recommend taking out health insurance before watching this lot, pain-inducing laughter will occur.
Strangers with Sweets – Foil, Arms and Hog
Two words: Irish. Humour.
A beautifully entertaining evening of “I’m-going-to-cry-soon” laughter and genius sketches, complete with three Irish lads who were just as likely to crack up in the middle of a punch line as they were to have the entire room in stitches. With one-liners such as ‘He confiscated my shoes and stood on my toes!’, ‘My dad’s a peaodophile.’ and ‘No woom at the inn!’, these three guys were a blessing in the form of an overly excitably Irish trio.
A Perhaps-Too-Intimate Evening of Music and Hilarity – The Young Dads
We discovered The Young Dads when they accosted us with song and dance whilst we were stuck in a queue. During those 5 minutes it became clear that we seemed to be swayed by an accent. Luckily however, the accent didn’t let us down.. The only way to verbalise the genius of this duo is to say WATCH THIS. Anyone who can write songs to capture and portray a specific ‘demographic’, and then actually be pretty good at the whole singing and dancing thing.. Well, they get my vote. A fantastic performance, complete with powerpoint presentation and everything.
And your stereotypical Stand-Up
So, I’m not gonna lie. This didn’t impress me. In the slightest. So much so that I don’t actually remember the name of the place, show or of the ‘comedians’ themselves. (Yes, I’m fully aware I’m probably going to drama-geek hell for admitting to that one.) Anyway, for as long as I can remember I haven’t appreciated being told what to think or what to find funny. So being sat in the corner of a claustrophobic’s-worst-nightmare-of-a-pub listening to a handful of guys harp on about over-sensitive women and bad sexual experiences wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. Add to that the simple one-liner jokes and stupid faces pulled after each punchline? Well, lets just say I was more than happy to leave *that* pub.
