Fresh off screens and right onto the stage, four TikTok comedians try their hand at stand up. There’s no denying short form video comedy is worlds away from the intimidating world of stand up. Under the real heat of a spotlight and the viewers right in front of them, will they sink or swim?
The first comic and host, Coco Sarel, is the first of the lot to appear on stage and the only one to reappear. Her personality suits that of a host, easy to like with a critical knack for reading the energy in the audience. She manages to hype up her fellow comedians by prepping the crowd with her relatable content of girl-group dynamics. She sprinkles her set with slang for the girls. With a commendable bit of crowd work, she manages to inspire some engagement for us live viewers, setting the tone for the standard to come.
She welcomes Steven McKell to the stage, who regales us with stories of growing up in a house with seven other siblings, and a mum that had the tenacity to handle all of them. The fast set rapidly alternated between self-deprecation and self-confidence. He is certainly distinct in his delivery, and once more at home on stage, he has a real potential to go places. It seems the crowd roots for the Scot for the most part, as he draws some decent laughs from humour anchored in his home ground.
Ayamé Ponder follows the act, not with a change of pace, but tone. It’s all about the darling of TikTok. Her sass and commanding presence set the foundations of a great comic, though the set isn’t belly-laugh inducing, it still retains an entertainment factor. Still staying likeable while playing the perfect diva. Once her content becomes stronger, her execution will no doubt do it justice.
The show closes with Henry Crowley, who rose to fame thanks to his eerily accurate portrayals of bog standard posh girls who go by Minty and are constantly looking for their vape. The strongest points are most definitely what catapulted him into fame. Confidence comes out in his impersonations. He brings a boyish charm to his set, but there is an apparent holding back in commitment. Stand up is about being vulnerable enough to put it all on the line, and that takes a whole lot of practice. So again, once the growing pains are out the way, there would be nothing stopping him.
Whether or not they’re good, they’re already successful and famous in their own right. But it can only be beneficial to hone their comedic craft in a different format (the hardest one as some may argue). There are decent bones here, and they have a following for a reason. It was a valiant debut considering the pool of seasoned comics performing at the fringe. Nonetheless, the show promises a good time. With a bit more practice, these TikTok stars could be on their way to lighting up stages as much as they do screens.
Knock, Knock
16:00 @ Pleasance Courtyard – Cabaret Bar2nd Aug – 27th Aug
