Adam Riches: Jimmy
This review is from the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe.
Adam Riches's comedy shows have long been high concept, high effort affairs; now he crosses over to the dark side of the Fringe programme (aka the theatre bit) to make his Summerhall debut with Jimmy.
It's a one-man-show about US sportsman Jimmy Connors, the bad boy of '70s tennis, who was eventually eclipsed by the likes of Boris Becker and John McEnroe. They, however, retired as relatively young men. Jimmy is set at the 1991 US Open: with the 39-year-old Connors now way down in the rankings, we meet him just as he's losing a match to Patrick McEnroe, John's little brother. Connors is not happy, a wounded old tiger with nothing but contempt for an opponent he knows he'd have swept past a decade ago.
There are no actual balls in Tom Parry's production. But there is a lot of sweat: racket in hand, Riches hurls himself energetically around the 'court' in recreation of Connors's actual moves. I'm sure it's not a perfect replica, but Riches is bloody good, both lucidly conveying the flow the match and conveying a level of dogged persistance that feels important for Connors's story. Although it has a lot in common with Richard's comedy shows - character work, accent work, just a lot of work - it's definitely not trying to be funny in the way that they are, with just a ghost of his usual infamous audience interactions. The gangly Riches does undeniably remain an intrinsically amusing performer, but the category change makes sense.
Eventually, a despairing Connors sinks into his thoughts and we get a journey through his past: specifically being raised by his tough single mum and coach Gloria, who encouraged him to be aggressive, a trait that won him games but lost him friends. Introspective, Jimmy begins to accept it's over for him. But then his temper is inflamed again – and so begins one of the all time great sports comebacks.
It's an electric performance from Riches: it doesn't need to be nuanced or subtle, it needs to be shattering to watch, and it is. The text, however, feels shy of where it could go: Connor's rage is shown to be a curse more than a blessing, and yet the end does by and large conform to uplifting comeback tropes. It feels on the cusp of saying something quite profound about toxic masculinity in sport but tosses it away at match point. But we're still left with a thrilling display.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
STV News
10 minutes ago
- STV News
Robert MacIntyre hails opening 70 at US Open as ‘one of my top-10 rounds'
Scotland's Robert MacIntyre says his level-par score on the first day of the US Open is one of the best rounds of his career. While star names Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Rose all floundered on the notoriously difficult Oakmont course in Pittsburgh, MacIntyre's 70 has him in a strong position after Thursday's opening round. The 28-year-old believes that replicating that scoring over the next three days will see him walking away as champion on Sunday night. 'I'm delighted with that,' he said. 'That was superb. That's up there. 'I mean, it's in the top 10 of rounds that I've played. It's just so hard. Honestly, it's just every shot is like you're on a knife edge. 'But overall, honestly, I don't know if it's good or bad to have a level-par, but that's almost as good as I've got. 'I know that it will get tougher, but a level-par round today, if you shoot four level-par rounds, you're walking away with a medal and a trophy. I'm sure I'll take that.' MacIntyre could have been in an even better position had he not bogeyed the 18th, but his consistency from the tee underpinned his excellent start. 'I played absolutely beautifully, to be honest, off the tee, because that's where the real punishment is and that's as good as I can drive the golf ball,' he said. 'I wasn't really hitting long drives. I wasn't trying to hit long drives. 'I was just trying to stay in the short stuff and manufacturing shots, whether it was 3-wood, whether it was driver, just try to hit the shape that I needed to find the fairway. 'I've never played a golf course as hard.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Mirror
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy risks wrath of Ryder Cup legend after what he did at the US Open
Masters champion Rory McIlroy was among the top players to struggle on the opening day of the US Open before again refusing to speak to the media about his round Paul McGinley won't have approved of Rory McIlroy's latest refusal to engage with the media. The Masters champion endured a disappointing start to his US Open campaign at Oakmont. Starting on the back nine, McIlroy looked in good form initially, birdying the 11th and 12th as he reached the turn at two under. However, his day took a turn for the worse with a disastrous back nine, which saw him play holes one to nine in 41 shots, a run that featured four bogeys and a double bogey. His round of 74 left him four over par and in need of an outstanding comeback to win the year's third major. After the round, McIlroy declined to speak to the media, having also snubbed reporters during last month's PGA Championship after it emerged that his driver had failed a legality test prior to the tournament. The decision won't have gone down well with Irish golf legend McGinley, who has criticised players who duck media duties, with Collin Morikawa and Shane Lowry doing the same at times this season. The former Ryder Cup-winning captain said on Sky Sports during the PGA Championship: "My view is very clear. I said it about Collin Morikawa and I'll say it about other players. I'll say it about Rory McIlroy, I don't like it when they don't do interviews. "I don't think it's good for the game, I don't think it's good for their persona. Rory is very popular and you run the risk of undoing a lot of the popularity when you don't speak, whatever his reasons were." After the event, McIlroy opened up about his media relations at a press conference before the Canadian Open. He said: "From a responsibility standpoint, I understand, but if we all wanted to, we could all bypass you guys [the media] and we could just go on this [our phones] and go on social media and we could talk about our round and do it our own way. "We understand that's not ideal for you guys, and there's a bigger dynamic at play here. I talk to the media a lot, and I think there should be an understanding that this is a two-way street. We understand the benefit that comes from you being here and giving us the platform. "But I've been beating this drum for a long time. If they [golf officials] want to make it mandatory [to speak to the media] that's fine, but in our rules it says it's not and until the day when it's maybe written into regulations, you're going to have guys skip from time to time and that's well within our rights." Ahead of the second day at Oakmont, McIlroy finds himself eight shots behind first-round leader JJ Spaun, who managed to conquer the notoriously difficult course with a flawless 66. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler also struggled, finishing three over and two over, respectively. McIlroy's playing partners, Justin Rose and Shane Lowry, had even worse days. Rose completed his round with a seven-over 77, while Lowry was a further two shots back, with both facing the possibility of missing the cut.
Daily Mirror
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Scottie Scheffler can't hold back as US Open star damages course at Oakmont
Scottie Scheffler has been in sensational form in recent weeks, though he struggled to find his rhythm in the opening round of the US Open, with the world No. 1 letting his frustrations get the better of him Scottie Scheffler was unable to hold back his irritation at the US Open on Thursday. In the run-up to the third major of the year, players had been cautioned about the harsh conditions at Oakmont Country Club. Tiger Woods has even given out specific advice on how to triumph over the weekend, with Colin Montgomerie, ex-European Ryder Cup captain, chiding top players who lamented the course's tough setup, urging them to "man up" and take on the challenge. Scheffler, the current world No. 1, found himself amongst those competing to survive during the first round, and despite a remarkable recent form that saw him clinch three out of his last four starts, he seemed to have met his match against the stern test in Pennsylvania. During the opening round, on the 14th hole, Scheffler was placed 38th at two-over as he strived to find his stride on what was proving to be a difficult day. Following a strong tee shot, his subsequent attempt landed on the green but sadly not in the spot he had hoped for. Although it initially seemed the ball might be close enough for a putt, it rolled away, resulting in a more challenging stroke. Realising luck wasn't on his side, Scheffler showed his exasperation by aggressively embedding his club into the turf, leaving behind a divot, reports the Mirror US. Scheffler's frustration was palpable as he tapped the hole a few more times and trudged over to the green. After the first round, Scheffler was three-over-par, in company with Tyrrell Hatton and Bryson DeChambeau, among others. The American's struggles at Oakmont bring to mind Woods' cautionary words about the course. Although not competing this year due to an Achilles injury, the 49-year-old offered insight into what players could expect in a video on Sun Day Red before the tournament. "There is no faking about Oakmont," admitted Woods. "The golf course is big, yes, but it's just - there is no way around it. You just have to hit the golf ball well. "It favors longer hitters, just because of the degrees, the complexes. It just helps so much to be coming with shorter iron, to be able to sock the ball. It's about missing the ball on correct spots... because if you don't, it's horrible!" Despite complaints from some top players about Oakmont's tough conditions, Montgomerie insists it's time for them to prove their worth. The forthright 61-year-old shared his views with reporters at Trump International Golf Links in Scotland. "[Look at] technology now from 30 years ago. The golf ball that we were playing with 30 years ago moved around all over the place. It was soft, it went 20 yards shorter," he exclaimed. "Now, the golf club development, the drivers, the irons, the putters, look at the putters now, the development in the putters. So, get on with it. For Christ's sake, you've got technology there that is beyond what you would ever, ever dream of. "Use it and play golf. I mean, at this level, you shouldn't be missing any fairways, unless it's blowing a gale. The research and development that's been poured into the game, man up. Yeah, get on with it."
