An aqua gilet is a striking piece of clothing. Paired with a basic white t-shirt and trousers, the outfit really sticks out to me as Stuart walks on to begin his show. It’s such a garish, specific colour- it really distracts me before the jokes start rolling in.
As it turns out, this is not me being weird but a planned trick Stuart had prepared in advance. You see, this gilet is no ordinary bodywarmer, but actually… well, obviously I’m not going to spoil it for you. If you’re curious then wander over to the Hive of an afternoon and see for yourself. It will surprise you, that’s all I’ll say before moving on to the actual comedy.
Stuart’s a likeable guy. He comes onto stage confidently awkward with a stack of ice-breaker cards at the ready, to ease us into this new relationship. That is how he treats his audience for the duration of the show. Our audience is certainly up for it and really gets behind Stuart’s material which touches mainly on his autism diagnosis and said relationship.
The show is chock full of funny stuff. However, as a whole piece I think it could do with a bit of tinkering to properly finesse it. His final ten minutes are far more emotionally raw than the rest, which is fairly typical, but feels a bit clunky and tacked on in this performance.
If you’re only concerned with getting in a few solid laughs of an hour, I’d say Stuart’s your guy.
Stuart Laws Has to Be Joking?, Monkey Barrel Comedy (The Hive), 16:45, until August 25.
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/stuart-laws-has-to-be-joking
