list.co.uk/festival Reviews | FESTIVAL COMEDY

ANDREW RYAN: DID YOU GET HERE ALRIGHT? Cork native preaches love and understanding in the face of personal trials ●●●●● SEAN MCLOUGHLIN: YOU CAN’T IGNORE ME FOREVER Feisty if often distracted set from a man who loves a tangent ●●●●●

MIRANDA KANE: CROSSBONES A touching and engaging one-woman show about sex workers ●●●●●

‘See what happens when Ed Byrne sells out?’ Andrew Ryan says, surveying a packed room with suspicion. If tonight’s punters have just stumbled upon the comedian by accident, they won’t have been disappointed by this captivating hour.

Ryan is still dwelling on being told to ‘go back home’ by a heckler in Watford, using this would- be Irish-baiting as a means of exploring modern xenophobia. He's a charmer but those playful moments don’t dislodge the focus of the show which offers intelligent, mature analysis, Ryan conceding that our experiences inform our prejudices. But an hour of ‘let’s all be friends’ would be no fun at all. So, Ryan gleefully pokes fun at British arrogance, bemoans the near impossibility of getting on the housing ladder and sighs at a world where mob justice sees every mistake punished ruthlessly. He mines his own awkwardness and personal misfortune for cathartic laughs, and they come quick and fast. One minute rapturously funny, the next vulnerable and thoughtful, Andrew Ryan’s new show is a disarming delight. (Craig Angus) Assembly George Square Studios, until 27 Aug, 6.45pm, £7–£11 (£6–£9).

From the off, Sean McLoughlin promises the crowd he won’t address them directly but within moments the tortuous drinking habits of a young punter have him going off at a delightful tangent. It’s a shame he doesn’t indulge the audience much beyond that because he has a nice line in skittish banter.

McLoughlin laments that his fifth show in as many

years is his first born outwith crisis, although that’s not to say he’s in any way happy with his lot in life. He’s certainly not coasting by on braggadocio. Taking self-deprecation to a new low, he paints a rather pathetic portrait of sexual inadequacy, career stagnation and underachievement in general. Most of McLoughlin’s funniest material deals with

sex, with a routine on jealousy generating some of his biggest laughs. He has an annoying habit of breaking off mid-set, concerned by what he deems to be a muted response to the material (‘it’s a Tuesday night!’ he exclaims, confusingly, as a call to arms), and also has a distracting habit of chuckling under his breath at his own jokes. But that’s part and parcel of this excitable and feisty performer. (Murray Robertson) Laughing Horse @ City Café, until 26 Aug, 6.45pm, free.

Imagine a Horrible Histories episode on the topic of medieval prostitution as presented by someone with intimate knowledge of the sex industry, and you’ll have a good idea of Miranda Kane’s latest show. After stumbling across the Crossbones burial ground in London for the ‘outcast dead’ (read: prostitutes), Kane felt compelled to investigate further and share the stories of those lost to time and social propriety. Energetic, engaging and often with a nervousness to her delivery, Kane explains, quotes and re-enacts her way through some unbelievable moments from the past and the women that have been edited out of history books. Her previous show, The Coin- Operated Girl, covered her experiences as a sex worker and Kane draws on this personal perspective to create parallels between treatment of the 13th and 21st century versions. A quick trawl through the Audiovisual Media Services Regulations passed in 2014 that bans certain acts from being depicted in pornography reveals that little has changed. The hour is as educational as it is entertaining

with Kane privileging untold stories over contrived punchlines and ending on an unexpectedly touching note. (Suzanne Black) Sweet Grassmarket, until 27 Aug, 4.15pm, £8 (£6).

CHAPSHTICK Nonsensical surrealism ●●●●●

This is an (almost) silent comedy performed by actors and clowns Simon Brown and Luke Nowell, which in part serves as a kind-of mediation on modern manhood and elsewhere simply features some fun scenes bolstered by a set of enjoyably absurdist ideas. They kick off with a skit where the pleasant, cultured guy never gets adequate female attention against the youthful and conventionally good-looking ones. Travelling through a framing structure of various sketches featuring a running gag of sporting activities that get a bit out of hand, there’s a visit to the barber’s that produces too many combs. However, interspersed in between are diversions into more surreal territory, and the whole thing culminates in a nonsensical finale where the star is an unsuspecting audience member. Like many at the Fringe of late, it’s no surprise that this pair trained with Philippe Gaulier in his Parisian clown school. And they learned well, presenting neatly executed physical comedy, with their performances in each scene completely on the money. While they certainly know their stuff, overall the show is lacking in solid punchlines. Their quiet skits build up well but in the main the pay-offs are a touch weak. The most successful however is a wonderfully bizarre chess game where the pair teasingly play each other using a series of random objects, from a stuffed penguin to a shocking pink effigy of the Eiffel Tower.

On this reviewing date, there were a few issues with sound cues, but the pair dealt with it good-naturedly and carried on regardless; it only resulted in displaying their easy, familiar working relationship. Ultimately, this Chapshtick debut feels somewhat underwritten and would benefit from some reworking but an entertaining and pleasing hour still remains. (Marissa Burgess) New Town Theatre, until 27 Aug, 4.10pm, £9 (£8).

17–28 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 43