Comedy review: Luke Rollason’s Infinite Content, Monkey Barrel Comedy, Edinburgh

Luke Rollason has the perfect face for comedy – huge eyes, expressive mouth, Jedward hair.
High tech jokes and lo-fi props make for an endearingly nerdy comedy show.High tech jokes and lo-fi props make for an endearingly nerdy comedy show.
High tech jokes and lo-fi props make for an endearingly nerdy comedy show.

Luke Rollason’s Infinite Content, Monkey Barrel Comedy, Edinburgh * * *

He’s one of the Gaultier gang, the new generation of clowns who followed in the wake of Dr Brown. Rollason speaks, but not much, conjuring up most of the laughs by the way he manoeuvres his spaghetti thin body. He uses lots of tech and lots of computer game references but mostly in a low tech way. His virtual reality headsets look as if they might be made of egg boxes and some of his special effects are created by means of old-fashioned stage magic.

Rollason is caught between the lure of the high tech world and the love of live performance. On the one hand he seems to be suggesting people are too attached to technology – on the other, he uses loads of it in his show and it sometimes becomes a distraction. There’s a fascinating moment when he deliberately tries to be boring but it misfires because his face is so eminently watchable.

Rollason is funny and terrifically charming, with a host of inventions, tricks and original ideas up his sleeve. Game and gadget obsessed teenagers will particularly love this show.

Until 25 August

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