If you were tasked with buying comedy tickets for a group of friends with disparate tastes the first person I would recommend this August would be Paddy Young, an exhilarating comic who somehow combines the steady gag-rate of a traditional stand-up set with the frantic revelations of doomed youth.
By “doom”, I mean, the impotent fury – and relatable contemporary pain – of having to share living spaces. In the hands of a lesser talent, this topic might be less meaty, but his detailed flights of fancy draw you into a world that is at once incredibly depressing and truly hilarious. Think gallows humour if you could afford the rope.
Hailing from Scarborough, he incorporates some deftly handled material about Wally, the walrus whose instinct to lie around wanking derailed the town’s recent fireworks display. Man, what a metaphor. And his pastiches of fictional depictions of northerners, while not exactly new territory, are delivered with freshness.
Young is a dynamic performer, occupying the stage with energy, commitment and almost unfair levels of charisma. And his command over the odd moment of audience tomfoolery is impressive: we know exactly who’s in charge here.
This, his debut show, has clearly been carefully and lovingly structured, crafted and honed with devotion and talent, and if Young doesn’t get an awards nomination for this show I’ll be demanding a steward’s enquiry.
21.35pm
Pleasance Courtyard (Baby Grand)
Also 5.20pm
Pleasance Above (26 Aug)
Until 27 Aug
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on#q=%22Paddy%20Young%3A%20Hungry%2C%20Horny%2C%20Scared%22
