I doubt the name of this show was inspired by Allen Ginsberg’s legendary beat poem and John is not an obvious ‘angel-heaedd hipster’ but for a comedian who is well established on the Fringe as someone with an anxious over-obsessive nature, this was an absolute tour-de-force. Playing in a packed large room, John breaks down in front of our eyes. His world is reduced during lock down to mentally gnawing repeatedly on things that simply are not important but which blow up into huge issues in his head. Anyone who has lived with, known, or been someone like this will immediately recognise that while in the hands of an expert comedian these metal conundrums can be made to be funny, they are also absolutely crippling.
And then there’s the drinking. Are you drinking to cope with the stress or is the stress caused by the drinking? That particular spiral of despair which John describes in hilarious detail will also be familiar to many, as he wraps himself in riddle after riddle, trying to understand why he feels like he wants to drink himself to death.
As upsetting as that might be – and it does sound like an hour-long AA meeting – his ability to turn all of his idiosyncrasies into comedy means that we don’t linger too long on the more upsetting aspects of these psychological tortures. It is a splendid example of how to use even the worst things in your head for full comic effect. Because it is a hilarious show, albeit one tinged with sadness for someone who has clearly been going through the emotional wringer. But it is the depth of that emotion that gives the whole show some real heft and makes it feel important.
This isn’t just someone confessing to being depressed or having ADHD, it sets that into a real life context and pulls the funny out of it. Now, that is a rare art. To be hilarious but also profoundly upset is an unusual but winning mix of emotions, but then perhaps laughing and crying are two sides of the same coin.
John Robins – Howl
Just The Tonic Atomic Room 20.50
Aug 10-13, 15-20, 22-27
