Latest news with #JamesTrickey
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
James Trickey: Don't Count on Me review – accountant takes calculated risk in fringe debut
There's a bait-and-switch to begin newcomer James Trickey's show, which starts with our host in sunglasses raving to techno music. The music stops, the shades are removed and then, in deadpan: 'I'm a chartered accountant.' It's a fun pivot, from suave to schmuck. It's also a misdirection, because Trickey then re-ascends to high status for the rest of the show, delivering his debut set in unusually imperious style at a time when, for fringe wannabes at least, self-deprecation is the norm. You've got to admire the chutzpah; high status is harder for a rookie to pull off. It comes at the expense of warmth, though: I found Trickey's maiden fringe set reminiscent of Jack Whitehall's way back when. He's technically excellent, plenty of good jokes, sometimes a bit facile, his mannerisms occasionally feeling borrowed. His is an expertly constructed example of the genus 'debut fringe show', deploying his day job and field of expertise (accountancy and mathematics) as a lens through which to explore who he is, where he's come from – and where he's going. That's a lot to get through, and Trickey packs plenty into the hour, ranging across his parentage – old white dad, Cambodian mum – his passion for tomato puree, and the kids' trust fund he's establishing based on Subway loyalty points. The latter prompts a section on probability and expectation, consisting of a weak rap/rhyme set-piece and reflections on the gamble he's taking by quitting accountancy for standup. Earlier, we get some material making hay with our host's dual heritage ('Am I being racially excluded from the racist banter?'). One or two of those jokes are funnier in principle than in practice. The tenuous idea is apparent behind a routine justifying racism based on the GDP of the country being abused, but it raises a wan smile at best. The joke about how seedy it looks when ageing white dad takes young Asian son to school is not a pleasant one. Technique may be running ahead of judicious selection of material, then, but Trickey has certainly got it, and his gamble in taking up comedy looks odds-on to pay off. At Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, until 24 August All our Edinburgh festival reviews
Scotsman
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
James Trickey: Don't Count On Me
Award winning Comedian James Trickey is set to perform at the Pleasance Courtyard throughout the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year with his debut hour Don't Count On Me, where he unpacks what happens when a life governed by logic starts to fall apart at the seams. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A Bristol mathematics graduate, chartered accountant, and (possibly) responsible adult, James has spent the last decade calculating the optimal route through life – only to discover it might be leading him the wrong way. Now, he's taking a risk. Sort of. He hasn't quit the day job yet, but he's finally answering the call of comedy – and it's not exactly tax deductible. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Don't Count On Me explores the hilarious conflict between a career in spreadsheets and a calling in stand-up, framed by James' unique upbringing. With a fun-loving white British dad and a formidable Cambodian mum whose early obsession with his financial security makes a lot more sense as the story unfolds, James charts his journey from cautious academic to comedy award-winner – battling identity, pressure, and probability models along the way. James Trickey At once sharply intelligent and disarmingly honest, this is a show about weighing risks, breaking patterns, and learning to trust that not everything needs to add up. James Trickey is quickly establishing himself as one of the UK's most exciting new comedy voices, having recently won the Leicester Square Sketch Off 2024, King Gong (July 2023), and Beat the Frog. He was nominated for Best New Show at the Leicester Comedy Festival 2024, and has earned recognition as runner-up in both the Chortle Student Comedy Award 2018 and Get Up Stand Up 2023. James was also shortlisted for the BBC New Comedy Award 2021, and has appeared in two comedy shorts for BBC Studios' 'Funny Parts: Unhinged' series. Pleasance Courtyard - Cellar: 30th July - 24th August: 9:15pm Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
