Ed Aczel really is a master of expressionless anti-comedy. He’s wonderfully blasé about literally anything and everything as he chats with the audience to supplement his already great jokes.
Aczel admits that the entire show is four jokes surrounded by plentiful filler but if that’s all it takes to make a really great Fringe show then he seems to have cracked it. Aczel delivers these jokes in an enjoyably dry and off beat manner. He frequently allows his set ups to build and build which is invariably as funny, if not more so than the punchline itself. Avoiding spoilers, the pinnacles of Ed’s set weirdly revolves around niche mid-20thcentury tycoons. Trust me, it’s brilliant.
Aczel is unwavering and he’s calm and certainly not there to judge anyone. It’s almost like listening to the slightly strange uncle at a barbeque and I mean that in the best way possible. Aczel is self-assured and simultaneously self-deprecating as he delivers his observational comedy in such a different style to the masses.
When the four jokes are up, Aczel turns to us to decide his next topic from a short setlist. He delves into advice about buying stereos, the wage/price spiral and decorating, all while ensuring us how much an idiot Socrates really was. This is how all over the place this act is, so do not expect extended material on artificial intelligence as the title may suggest – it’s just a daft ploy to sell tickets.
The show did slightly peter towards the latter phases turning into more of a conversation than a stand up set. Regardless it was hilariously dry and filled with some intentional and amusing umming and ahing.
Aczel is almost impossible to dislike even while performing in a style that is not to everyone’s taste. Hosted in one of the most unique venues in Edinburgh, this unique man will not fail to supply some booming laughter.
Edward Aczel: Artificial Intellect and Other Ideas
18:40 at The BlundaBus
August 18
