3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Christopher Macarthur-Boyd's comedy set at the Fringe is razor-sharp
Monkey Barrel 3, until August 24, 9pm
'Stand-up's definitely a night-time thing.' It's a bold opening statement from Christopher Macarthur-Boyd. Especially when you consider that he's saying it to a matinee crowd. Extra shows have had to be shoe-horned in. Christopher's offering this year, Howling at the Moon, has been attracting audiences in much the same way he himself attracts Australian women. He reckons it's because they find his particular genre - small specky guy - incredibly rare and rather exotic. I'm convinced his superb Steve Irwin impersonation is doing some of the heavy lifting.
It's a razor-sharp set from one of Scotland's top comedians. He's so supremely comfortable onstage. Except for the part where he's railing against modern restaurant seating. The words cool and stool may rhyme but they definitely don't belong together for the vertically-challenged. And if you think that physical comedy was good, just wait until you see his Komodo dragon. It's fire.
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But it's Christopher's personal stories that stay with you. There're plenty of them. He and his butterfly brain flit from one to the other. A quick flick of his asymmetric fringe used as punctuation. Many of the tales are food-related. Vignettes from his childhood and adolescence. Musings on the minutiae of life. Chocolate cups, cuddles and Come Dine With Me, a straw in my Irn Bru, pants in my coffee. These could all be the titles of Alan Bennett's much-loved Talking Heads monologues. They are heart-achingly beautifully and belly-achingly funny.
It's a confident but never cocky performance. Big subjects like sexuality and neurodiversity are tackled with trade-mark self-deprecation and honesty. His analogy of Haymarket and Waverley stations in a routine about gender fluidity was an absolute highlight for me. This set is so emotionally-intelligent it should have its own podcast. CMB should add it to his portfolio.
It's educational hour. I learnt a new expression – pie-watching. For us Dundonians, that involves staring in the window of a bakery. Apparently for Glasgow school-kids in the '90's it meant something entirely different. I also learnt a new equality-based pejorative gesture that's going to be fun to use this Fringe. An absolute belter of a show.
Other shows I recommend this week…
Miriam Margolyes: Margoyles and Dickens: More Best Bits, EICC, five stars.
Ian Smith: Foot Spa Half Empty, Monkey Barrel 1, four stars.
Tiff Stevenson: Post-Coital, Hive 1, four stars.
Jay Lafferty: Ooft! Stand 1, four stars.
For tickets for Edinburgh Festival shows, click here
