IT’S ALMOST compulsory for stand-up shows to have a theme these days.
A decade or so ago we had a rash of “dead dad shows” – I guess comics had just reached that stage of life when they start to lose their parents – and in recent years subject matter has become increasingly sombre and personal.
So Ian Stone quickly announces that the theme for this show is “basically trying to bring people together” because he feels that we’ve all become a bit polarized.
Cobblers, say I. The theme of this show is basically a stand-up on top of his game being bloody funny.
You try and pick a theme from a routine that compares Shamima Begum’s teen tryst with ISIL to him hanging off the bonnet of his mate’s Triumph Herald.
Immensely likeable, Ian gets the crowd onside from the get-go, chatting with us as we file into the biggest room at this venue – though you do suspect that’s to gather ammo for later!
And though he insists he wants to bring folk back together, he firmly establishes his boundaries from the off when he lumps Jacob Rees-Mogg, Rose West and the Nazis together as irredeemable!
Ian’s politics are no secret and both the Tories and the Royals come in for a broadside or three because as he explains, “Comedy works in Britain because the country’s shit.”
As he says, “Laughter makes it better.”
He’s not pushing any boundaries or reinventing comedy, he’s just being hilarious but that said, I think he might be on to something with his proposal for a food-based immigration policy.
A few gags based on his being Jewish had some of the audience looking anxious but he quickly bursts any tension with a cheeky grin and giggle.
Mind you, the one gag I took offense at was him asking his partner, “That thing that happened, was it last Thursday?” “No, it was 1998.”
Too close to home…
This is a Free Fringe show so you pay what you want or can afford at the end, but as Ian admitted< “This is the moment a Jewish comedian asks a predominantly Scottish audience for money – we could be here for hours…”
Ian Stone Will Make It Better
16:00
Laughing Horse @ The Counting House
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/ian-stone-will-make-it-better
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