list.co.uk/festival Reviews | FESTIVAL COMEDY

BEN TARGET Oddity and uniqueness lift a curious hour ●●●●● JONNY LENNARD Deconstructing the bedtime story ●●●●●

NISH KUMAR Intelligent, informed, scattershot stand-up ●●●●●

The gentle, kind demeanour of Ben Target masks the vicious reality that he is a cold-hearted cynical comedian seeking to destroy both entertainment as we know it and his audience’s fragile confidence. Well, probably not, but it’s difficult to know exactly where you stand in a show by Target (pronounced as though it were a French surname). He preaches a community spirit in which we

are all helping him to make an (invisible) cake, but leaves his gathering high and dry by departing the stage for longer than seems decent. The awkward, intermittent laughter almost acts as an appeal for him to release us from all this weird uncertainty. Moments of oddball hilarity do eke out, such as when Target uses his tech guy as a human Autocue to sing along to a spot of late-90s indie Americana.

His Q&A analysing the audience’s childhood

ambitions might not always work, but that’s the risk of inviting a crowd to try and be funnier than the act. But in a festival where unique events are apparently celebrated but are actually too few and far between amid a sea of utter predictability, Ben Target is a breath of fresh, daft air. (Brian Donaldson) Banshee Labyrinth, 226 0000, until 24 Aug (not 18), 2pm, free.

Former Cambridge Footlights member Jonny Lennard professes to have always had an overwhelmingly cynical take on life. School was no walk in the park for someone who empathised with snowmen to the extent of seeing a snowscape as a mass of raining flesh. Combine this with babysitting a bohemian-raised, wholegrain-eating niece and you have material enough for a debut comedy solo show unearthing the truths about existence. Through his wicked deconstruction of bedtime

stories, Lennard touches on a plethora of contemporary issues including euthanasia and the Swiss banking system. Spoiling childish illusions in an audience, regardless of age, is dangerous territory: the night the tooth fairy stopped coming was a shattering experience for us all and surely no one wants to think of the Little Mermaid as having body dysmorphia. Lennard navigates these murky waters well, keeping crudity and sexual innuendo minimal and instead relying on his sharp wit and deadpan delivery to ensure the show remains funny. Despite a loss of momentum in the middle and at times a little too much scripting, this is a mature and clever hour of comedy. (Maud Sampson) Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until 25 Aug, 5.20pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).

Nish Kumar’s new relationship has brought about a whole other level of understanding about his personality thanks to having someone around to point out how pessimistic, self-centred and egotistical he is. Others have suggested that he shouldn’t talk about race too much in case he alienates his white middle-class audience. As if he needs to worry: Kumar’s been gaining a burgeoning following over the last few years. But at least he’s got a whole raft of material out of these new insights. Although loosely themed on subjectivity, there is a

somewhat scattershot nature to his show. With Kumar racing through and chucking out gags left, right and centre, it’s hard to keep up. Surprisingly, the quality doesn’t dip at all. His musings are intelligent and informed, raising some pertinent points on race.

Many observations aren’t exactly fresh but it’s Kumar’s own, personal take that makes them interesting. Such as his experiences of gigging on the very white Isle of Wight, and finding that he can’t avoid racist airport checks despite wearing a Gandhi T-shirt. Good job he hasn’t paid those criticisms much heed. (Marissa Burgess) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 24 Aug, 7.15pm, £9–£12 (£8–£10.50).

BRIDGET CHRISTIE Gravitas with giggles by the barrel load ●●●●●

Most comedians think they’ve got something important to say. But sitting in front of Bridget Christie, you get the sense that something fairly seismic is happening. In her own small way, she is handing women a set of empowering tools, opening men’s eyes and giving us all pause for thought. Which would be a terrible way to spend an hour at a Fringe comedy show were Christie not so beautifully adept at packaging it in the right way.

When she takes a (brief) moment to talk about female genital mutilation, the stoning to death of a woman in Pakistan by her own father, or the (inexplicable) addition of ‘anti-rape pants’ onto the lingerie market, you don’t feel uncomfortable, as could so easily be the case: you feel informed. And safe in the knowledge that any second now, she’ll throw in a killer line that will have the whole room guffawing loudly. Being able to sit such things side by side, without diminishing the gravitas of the subject matter or our need for a good laugh, is a rare talent. It’s also opening doors, not just for Christie’s career but into the halls of power. Government is now listening to what she has to say and, sitting in her show, you get a real sense of riding a very important crest into the future.

You only have to look around the room to see why Christie won last year’s Edinburgh Comedy Award: she can talk to everyone and make them laugh. Split equally between men and women, from late teens to pensioners, her demographic speaks volumes. Nobody (no, not even men) feels attacked (except maybe husband Stewart Lee, who comes in for a kicking over his laundry requests), because Christie doesn’t point the finger of blame. She extends the hand of shared responsibility, in the best possible way. (Kelly Apter) The Stand, 558 7272, until 25 Aug, 11.10am, £10 (£9).

14-25 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 45

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