I’ve been familiar with Ivo Graham the comic for a while now, as I’m sure many of us are. He’s been on just about every panel show, Live at the Apollo etc. for years now. I’ll confess in that time his work never made much of an impression on me- there’s just too many bumbling posh boys in the game to stand out when that’s your bit.
So, I am really surprised when Ivo comes out and begins his spoken word performance, which is contemplative and extremely well written. In his opening address, a journey on a LNER east coast line from Waverley to King’s Cross, his ruminations are set to gentle music and a rolling window seat view of the Scottish countryside. It resonates for me, particularly as someone who has taken that same train so many times commuting back and forth from Edinburgh.
“No one lives as I do”, is the mantra Ivo repeats to himself throughout his pointed exploration of loss and nostalgia. Brought together by paper memories- his daughter’s drawings, the receipt for that time in Australia when he cheated on her mother- his performance is one which tries to cope with living in the present tense. The show title, Carousel, alludes to this; as time propels Ivo forward he yearns to look back at his family standing out on the sidelines, to see happier faces than he did at the last turn.
At the end, his post-show thank yous are drowned out by applause, before he quickly shrugs off stage like nothing just happened. It’s redefined him as a performer for me, and I hope this is an avenue he continues to explore in the future. Seriousness really suits him.
Carousel – A Theatre Show by Ivo Graham, Assembly George Square, 14:20, until August 25.
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/carousel-a-theatre-show-by-ivo-graham
