Comedy Review: Ray Badran: Everybody Loves Ray, Man, Pleasance Courtyard - The Cellar (Venue 33), Edinburgh

A self-confessed bumbler, Ray Badran doesn’t seem to have his comic persona fully formed yet.

3 star

Which is odd as he established himself in his native Australia before moving to London.

Primarily a storyteller, he dabbles in relatable observational humour and has a sporadic absurdist streak which extends to committed pranks.

With his nasal voice and atypical rhythm of delivery, intermittently relaxed, it all makes for a performer who’s hard to get a bead on.

For the most part though, I enjoyed his debut hour.

After a strong introductory gag about dolphin sexuality, he pursues his preoccupation with Subway sandwiches through the unpromising prism of the imperial measuring system.

The minor momentum he attains is checked by some frankly tedious enthusiasm about pockets. But by the time he’s opining about his difficulties with computers, you find yourself starting to tune into his wavelength, concerned with the trivial but frustrating.

He has a nice, tight bit about misleading dials on fridges and heating systems, and a choice anecdote about accidentally stealing pizza.

But an airport jape requires too much set-up for too little pay-off, the glimpses into his depressive moments sit oddly and his crowd work is uneven.

Decidedly hit and miss.

Until August 25. Today 9:45pm. ***

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