Matt Forde
Pleasance Courtyard ★★★★
Matt Forde is one of those comics Fringe-goers can rely to present a well-prepared and funny show, and Project Holy Moly is no exception. It’s perhaps not his strongest offering to date but that can be forgiven, as much of it must have been written since Andy Burnham was chosen as leader of the Labour Party and moved into Downing Street in July.
Accordingly, Forde opens with the acknowledgement the UK is on to its seventh prime minister in 10 years, and Burnham is yet another one talking about the need for change. Forde is a seasoned enough political observer to call bullshit when he hears it – yet he’s hopeful, and proceeds to tell us why.
He’s already perfected his Burnham impression – the verbal tics, the football-related bants – to sit alongside his eerily spot-on Donald Trump (leading to a cannily imagined conversation between the two leaders, full of transatlantic misunderstandings). His Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband are magnificent too.
Forde updates us on his recovery from cancer (going well, thankfully) and the wonders of modern technology enabling it. That provides a fantastic callback to end this enjoyable - and, yes, hopeful - show.
Until 30 August
Spencer Jones
Pleasance Dome ★★★★
Trying to describe a Spencer Jones show is like trying to describe a fever dream. Did he really pretend to ladle soup from an audience member’s cupped hands and then judge its contents? Or lead an imaginary dog around the stage and throw it balls to chase? And if he did, why?
No point in asking why as Dogs, as ever with Jones, is silliness personified. He works through the large number of props on stage – some to provide a one-line gag, others to set up a routine. Other props remain unused or unexplained – perhaps on another evening things work out differently over the hour.
The props are mostly dog-related and some, the water bowl, the ball – even the poo bag – are used to create a looping soundtrack on a keyboard that punctuates the set. Sometimes a blast from the keyboard marks the end of a routine, sometimes it’s a gag in itself.
There are puppets and giant papier-mache masks (fashioned by the comic himself) that Jones dons to introduce a new character. There are songs and poems, some physical comedy, some adueince participation – although Jones is a gentle master of ceremonies.
Dogs isn’t a show about dogs, or even about dog-lovers. It’s absurdist, yes, but underlying the cleverness is a heartfelt message about loving and being loved – whether by an animal or another human being. And as he ties all the show’s seemingly disparate elements together Jones’s final song will bring a lump to your throat.
Until 30 August
Larry Dean
Pleasance Courtyard ★★★
Larry Dean is one of the slew of Saturday Night Live UK performers and writers plying their trade at this year’s Fringe, hoping that extra name recognition or association with the programme’s successful debut season will boost ticket sales.
In Hellbent Dean talks about events in his personal life, mostly about marrying his partner, who comes from the Black Country – cue one of the many tiptop accents that Dean deploys in the hour.
Dean can never resist a bit of filth in his shows and, true to form, there’s some here as he discusses sexuality. He posits, for example, that the next generation of gay men enjoying equal rights will be trauma-free – which is sort of bad news as he believes a bit of trauma can help your sex life no end.
We hear about the comic’s wedding, his love of Halloween, his diagnosis with autism and appearing on the Royal Variety Performance. This proud Glaswegian wasn’t necessarily concerned about how that would go down with some, beyond worrying that his Celtic season ticket might be cancelled.
Dean is a bundle of energy, pacing across the stage, zigzagging through a wide range of subjects. He keeps it light in Hellbent, but the gag count is high and it’s an enjoyable hour.
Until 30 August
