Comedy / edinburgh previews
Review: Tom Allen/Paul Sinha, Factory Theatre
Tom Allen is all about the delivery: he can make punctuation funny, for heaven’s sake, and he does.
His show opens with the narcissistic thought: what will they say when I die? That question allows him to explore the meaning of life (to own a house, apparently); crass Facebook obituaries; the pain of envying other people; and, of course, his own place in the world.
Allen does self-deprecating very well, but needlessly: his intellect is quick and he is at his best delivering arch putdowns and lively dialogue. An opening spar with an opera lover, medical student and a theatre director in the first row made for amusing later references and Allen constantly delights in the audience’s real and imagined reactions. Even where the material faltered slightly (it was a preview, after all), Allen remained committed. If you like Eddie Izzard or Graham Norton, you’ll be a fan.
is needed now More than ever
What he gave us at the Factory Theatre was definitely a preview of what’s to come, notes in hand, but with all the right ingredients for a laugh-out-loud Edinburgh show.
In contrast, Paul Sinha (above) was almost word-perfect. He announced proudly that tonight was his 16th of 22 previews, and it did feel like listening to an over-rehearsed best man deliver the same speech at his sixteenth summer wedding.
It’s been said before that Paul Sinha’s stand-up is more about the writing than the delivery, and it’s true: if we could sprinkle a bit of Allen’s sparkle into his preparedness, this would be a fine thing indeed.
Sinha trades on his everyman appearance, and his humour tends to be blokey (likening himself to a disabled child didn’t sit easy with me). But, despite claiming that comedians shouldn’t get involved in politics, he’s rather funny on the latter. The long stories about being a Z-list celebrity met with mixed success but the one-liners showed Sinha at his best, commenting on life as a gay British Asian quizzer and ex-GP.
And how many comedians can name the full list of Nobel Prize laureates, in order? Answers on a postcard…
Paul Sinha and Tom Allen played the Factory Theatre as part of the Double Deckers Edinburgh previews week, which continues tonight with sets from Glenn Wool and Jimmy McGhie, and tomorrow night with John Robins and Sarah Kendall. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com/shows
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
