When he was a teenager Brett Blake was charged with inciting a riot and assaulting a police officer. Which sounds pretty hardcore, don’t you think? The reality was, well, a little more nuanced.
The story of his arrest is at the heart of Little Scallywag. It’s not a title Blake likes. The Australian comedian had a much more earthy alternative in mind, but he was persuaded otherwise. And yet there is something funny about just how incongruous the title is, especially when you meet Blake himself. He is bearded, blokey, bolshy; a working-class comic who speaks plainly and directly. He also tells us he has ADHD, which adds an extra flavour to the mix.
Little Scallywag takes us back to Western Australia in 2002 and a kid with learning disabilities from a poor estate who strays into the rich neighbourhood with disastrous results.
Sketching in the background to the events in question, Blake leisurely paints a picture of his childhood and youth. Maybe a little too leisurely. The background to the story – the world building if you like – is extensive and possibly essential to explain what happened subsequently, but it slightly drags. Or maybe it only seems so because what follows feels so urgent.
What keeps you engaged is Blake himself. He’s raucous and funny. More than the story he’s telling to start with.
But when he begins to explain what happened on the night in question things kick up a level. Blake’s account is crisply told and grips in a way the first half of the show never quite manages. This is potent storytelling, full of heart and full of surprises. It’s well worth the wait.
Brett Blake: Little Scallywag, 20.00 Studio 4, Assembly George Square, until August 24 (except August 13)
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/brett-blake-little-scallywag
