Andrew Maxwell – Krakatoa
Andrew Maxwell’s not wrong in his damning perception of the global and political landscape, and he’s not subtle either with a towering backdrop of an animated volcano behind him nonchalantly spewing forth lava. His metaphor is clanging, and then doubles down further as the ground rumbles and steam rolls out every time the volcano is mentioned by name. Krakatoa was the first global event, he tells us. And here we lie in the midst of several all at once. It’s an End of Days beginning.
But then Maxwell is doing his best to brighten us up. He’s in his holiday togs whilst having serious points about the temperature of Summer changing in Scotland in the near 30 years since he first arrived at the Fringe. He’s glad to be back where he belongs being a clown after two years “trapped in the world of zoom gig” and being advised by the government to retrain. With national employment stats at his fingertips of service industry employment numbers, and an interesting sidebar on The Richard Scarry Rule, it sounds like something of a wilderness time he’s been having – starkly confirmed when he drops the bomb that his father passed away last November. And the news hangs there waiting for a pin to drop.
It becomes clear that this is something of a pilgrimage. Maxwell is an artful clown. He has the words, the perspectives skewed are second nature to him as is observational notation of the funny in the world. But as the volcano behind him continues to bubble up it’s so clear that he’s had a trying time. When considering Putin’s demise he sighs; “That’s sad to wake up and check if someone killed him.” And game theories it into a brighter note.
Andrew Maxwell wants to amuse and brighten our evenings. And he does. However, literally and figuratively he is in the shadow of Krakatoa.
He ends with the sweet sentiment that we need eejits in our lives. It’s true. And he’s being the biggest most intelligent eejit he can be in cut-off shorts and an oversized lairy holiday shirt. Huzzah.
Andrew Maxwell – Krakatoa
Gilded Balloon Teviot, Debating Hall, 3-29 (except 15th & 25th) August 2022
