Luke Rollason claims he wrote this show as an alternative to going insane. However, the two may not be mutually exclusive, as the show itself is utterly, wonderfully mental.
Most reviews will give you some details of what the show is about, what’s behind it, what the hidden messages and subtle nuances are, but that is not really possible with this show. Luke Rollason invites the audience into his home, but he needs to get the place tidied up and decorated, all before a big party he’s throwing. This plotline is stuck to loosely, at best, you cannot predict where Rollason is taking you next, and it’s more fun to not know.
The absurdity of his humour, partnered with the child-like style of the comedy leaves you in stitches but also has you questioning why. If you were to take the physical comedy out of context, and isolate it, it probably wouldn’t be very funny. The key to the hilarity is the comedian himself, his wild, zany personality and bizarre demeanour makes everything he does funny. There are few comedians who possess the talent to make everything they do funny just by being themselves.
There are few shows at the festival that will be operating on the same wavelength as Luke Rollason, his breakdown of the futility of domestic life will have you questioning the need for your daily tendencies. His level of indignance towards our boring daily tasks could reveal some possible deeper meaning to the show, perhaps he thinks that we are the crazy ones for playing out the same scenarios day after day. But then again, if you are able to accurately determine the psyche of a man who begins his shows with a giant lampshade on his head, you have a gift.
Luke Rollason: Bowerbird, 12.30, Monkey Barrel, August 12-16, 18-28
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/luke-rollason-bowerbird
