Marc Jennings has come across to Edinburgh with his classic cheeky Glaswegian humour. Two things are important to him during the show. Making you laugh and raising enough money to get a deposit for his own house.
One of Marc’s main talking points is that he still lives with his parents. It’s bad when a mate you went to school with is moving in next door to your Mum and Dad’s House. Marc sums up why he thinks his generation is struggling to own property, mainly due to class. But not your traditional classes, apparently, in Clydebank (Marc’s hometown), there were only two classes growing up: you were posh or you were a tramp. Somehow, at times, Marc found himself being called both.
Marc gets political during his show, which can be expected as the title of his standup is inspired by the phrase “give them bread and circuses and they’ll never revolt”. A phrase attributed to a Roman poet, which is used to criticise a government that prioritises a superficial pleaser rather than addressing deeper political and societal issues.
Marc covers Scottish politics, such as the “glory days” of Sturgeon and Salmond. Marc didn’t have to add much humour to their downfall; it’s already a joke. The dangers of Reform in English politics, I should warn, the horrible F word is used here (Farage). The growing technological advancements are also mentioned, where scarily an audience member is asked what he uses ChatGPT for, and not a single thought arose; he eventually managed to phrase a sentence “Uh, I..I use it for summarising”, clearly. All of this is just warming up to the most dangerous political views of them all, the Glasgow Taxi Drivers.
Marc Jennings is super relatable as he discusses the housing crisis, generational wealth and incompetent politicians. Mixing all these topics together sounds quite drab, but Marc’s funny, observant twist on everything makes for an enjoyable night of comedy.
Marc Jennings: Bread and Circuses 19.50, Monkey Barrel Comedy, until August 24
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/marc-jennings-bread-and-circuses
