This is in the upstairs room at the GRV, with lovely plush couches across the front and a bar for the interval at the back. The MC of the show is Tom Webb and each evening you are treated to four guest acts for the princely sum of £5.
Tom started with a few jokes and then tried to engage the audience and learn a bit about us (as there were only a dozen on Monday). This banter with the audience he kept up during the show, but he kept pointing to me and saying he was saving me for a big finale. This of course backfired in the end when I mentioned I was reviewing the show after he started questioning me (perfect solution that I guarantee will shut those nosy comedians up very quickly).
After his opening chat and jokes Tom introduced the first act, Tiernan Dioueb, who did a very good routine about his living with diabetes and the problems caused from being cursed with being short and baby-faced.
The second act was Luke Toulson, a veritable giant after the host and Tiernan had been on stage. Luke did a routine about taking his kids to amusement parks with the difficulty of getting short people onto some rides, and on the particular dangers of London buses, which entertained the crowd before the bar break.
The third comic after the break basically swore and ranted for ten minutes about BBC3, modern bands and other stuff that in no way related to any of the audience. Then he pulled his testicles out of his pants as a punchline. If it had been remotely amusing I would have remembered his name. I should find out so I can warn everyone to avoid him. Aha It’s Alfie Brown. Sadly I can’t think of any reason to see his act, but I’m old and grumpy (but no-one else was laughing during his act either so there may be something more fundamental).
The last act was piano playing comic James Sherwood who grammar checked a number of songs, corrected the mathematics of others and played a few of his own (which were very much in the Victoria Wood style). I thought it was interesting that none of the songs were less than a decade old and most were from the 80s. but then what IS modern music?
So for £5 we got a pair of very good acts, one patchy but with some good material and one very forgettable comic. Not too bad value for ninety minutes on a Monday night. Certainly a show that’s worth taking a chance on.
Visit the Edinburgh Fringe website for booking details