Walk through the Cellar Door and you’ll find Asher Treleaven surrounded by a collection of B Grade paperbacks, watched over by a talking portrait of Sir Alec Guinness diguised as The Ancient Mariner.
Don’t worry about Alec too much, he’s returned from the dead merely to usher Asher to the stage and after that he shuts up and let’s Mr Treleaven do the talking. Asher starts his show with some amusing light hearted material about walk on tunes before launching into the show proper, at which point he turns to his pile of paperbacks. Asher breaks this show into several chapters as goes through different genres (children’s, erotic, etc.) of literature, giving readings from some terrifically bad books.
Whilst there is plenty of material here to raise a laugh the conceit of this show doesn’t extend much beyond a ‘point and laugh’ methodology. And while this is something that can go down well in a short spot in a room environment it’s not really capable of sustaining a full length show. What’s more, Asher does little to expand on the format, creating a show that is more a series of lists rather that having any kind of progression of ideas, which once again shackles the flow of the show as time progresses.
That being said, Asher has an engaging personality and is an adept presenter and whilst there may not be enough here to create a memorable festival experience, with a 7pm start it’s an enjoyable enough way to kick of a nights entertainment.
Visit the comedy festival website for bookings and further information