The perfectly turned out figure of Pierre Novellie has a bee in his bonnet. “This used to be two jobs”, he says. He’s referring to the current trend of expecting Edinburgh shows not only to be funny but also to have an element of spiritual guidance. His attention zips over to cargo cults, a fascinating side quest, deep diving into a little known consequence of WWI strategic postings… and with a super satisfying pay-off punchline the whole room erupts into a boom of laughter. The lesson set-up here from the start: wherever Novellie leads, no matter how nonsensical, always follow, and have faith that it will eventually make sense. Almost like a cult.
Novellie is rightly fascinated by the functioning of his own mind as well. Officially diagnosed as autistic two years ago and having recently written a book on the subject, his observational humour is precise and elevated by what he refers to as “autistic altitude”. Whether it’s domestic bulk buying, game theory-ing himself into tasks, or an outrage at online algorithms’ opinions, his mind has a perfectly logical and richly surprising response that Novelli himself admits can sometimes be quite “mad” in its perfectly turned out set pieces.
‘Must We?’ concludes with a final factoid as its denouement. One that has its own questionable logic and possibly far-reaching consequences. Turns out Novellie might have actually delivered a lesson along with the laughs after all. Two jobs done, with a perfectly pressed pocket handkerchief still in situ. Class.
Pierre Novellie: Must We?, 19.05, Monkey Barrel, Until August 25
