Although saddled with a compere (Ivor Dembina) possessing all the charisma and pizzazz of a comatose John Cooper Clarke, the show – rather spectacularly – didn’t utterly bomb. Ria Lina’s musical humour electrified the audience with her relaxed yet biting wit. The self-deprecating, blunt sexual comedy of David Lee Nelson dealt with topics ranging from octogenarian drug dealers to Super Mario Brothers, with a charmingly agitated style of delivery. Nelson proved difficult for Tobias Persson to follow; however, Persson’s lengthy digression concerning a “duck Pope” was a refreshing taste of absurdity, comfortably mastered by the Swedish comic. Finally, despite looking like a “physics teacher” James Dowdeswell’s anecdotal tales of Bartholomew, the well-read homeless man, proved a particular success. Free and not too shabby.
Laughing Horse at Espionage, 4 – 28 Aug, times vary, free, fpp107.
tw rating 3/5
[jlb]
Sections: by Jessica Ballance - ED2011 Comedy Reviews - tw rating 3/5 | Tags: Laughing Horse Comedy, Laughing Horse Free Festival
Also from ThreeWeeks...
ED2011 Comedy Review: Laughing Horse’s Funny Fillies – Free (Laughing Horse Comedy and Sajeela Kershi In Association With www.funnyfemales.org.uk)
Everywhere I hear it said: “the spirit of the Fringe”. People yearn, pine, mourn for it, say it is lost, gone forever, say it’s not to be found anywhere near...
ED2011 Comedy Review: Ivor’s Other Show (Ivor Dembina/Laughing Horse Free Festival)
“Unplanned, unscripted and probably different every day” is the synopsis for this hour-long show, led by Ivor Dembina. The day I attended centred around how humour can differ across the...
ED2011 Comedy Review: A Mixed Bag (Laughing Horse Free Festival)
It can be depressing when comedians lower your expectations before you even enter the room. Arrogance can be wearying. Shame, then, that Paul Langton, our first comic, is the standard...
GET ALERTS OF NEW THREEWEEKS CONTENT: Click here to sign up to the free ThreeWeeks email
