| 18 August 2011
I’ve seen Russell on TV before and I’ve never really been impressed – he comes across as slightly arrogant and even a little false, so I was prepared not to enjoy this show. However, I was really quite impressed with the way that he instantly charmed the audience and, despite a wide demographic before him, had everyone laughing.
He’s not arrogant it turns out. In fact, if anything, he is a little insecure – there is no doubt that the death of his father in the last year has had a profound effect on him as a person and a comedian, not to mention a broken marriage, which must be tough for someone so young.
Despite this, he bounds about the stage, he is never still and uses all the space around him as he paces restlessly. I particularly enjoyed his portrayal of the Fringe ‘drama luvvies’ – ‘hooray’. Fringe veterans do find this particular breed of August resident hilarious – their quest for uniqueness being offset by the fact that they are actually all the same!
My only criticism would be that some of his punchlines were lost as his speech is so rapid – and because he jumps about, sometimes his delivery misses the microphone – however, I do not feel like this took away from the overall performance and new material.
His final anecdote made me laugh so much my stomach hurt, and he is worth seeing for this alone. The TV thing is obviously just a persona – I thought he was great. I’m a convert.
Russell Kane, Pleasance One, 12-26 August (not 22), 8.50pm
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