The opening moments of Fabien Clark’s Angry Spoon didn’t bode well. His explanation of the show being about the mistakes you make in life and it’s subtext of parental corporal punishment (hence the Angry Spoon) had me expecting the most uncomfortable version of a “comedy as therapy” session. Thankfully things soon took a change for the better.
Fabien has some brilliant stories to tell, mostly about his family. He delighted us with some wonderfully amusing tales of life in the suburbs, his job, his young children and his spouse. At times he mentioned that his wife wasn’t particularly fond of some of the material he used on stage, so this was quite personal stuff. He mentioned that because of his family he is not just an arsehole but “an arsehole with stories to tell”. This material was so strong that it almost eclipsed the faults of the show.
His delivery was quite rough around the edges. He didn’t exhibit very much energy and remained stationary behind his microphone stand for the duration. His was a gentle larrakin style which suited his material and personality well, that of a suburban bloke beaten down by the world a little but continued to soldier on.
One major weakness of the show was his inclusion of some musical numbers. He was able to make light of his lack of musical talent to generate some laughter but it was tantamount to torture to subject the audience to three of his songs, especially when they were rather light on laughs. They did break up the monologues but one would have been more than enough & smelt of filler to some extent.
If you are strong enough to withstand his music, you will be rewarded with some hilarious and heartfelt stories. Fabien is definitely one to keep an eye on in the future.
Visit the Fringe Website for booking details.