Comedy review: Seymour Mace is My Name, The Stand, Edinburgh

One of the undoubted joys of watching Seymour Mace is seeing what props and inventions he has come up with for his show.

Posh presenters, politicians and Central Perk's loyal customers all come under fire in Seymour Mace's show.

Seymour Mace is My Name, Climb Up My Nose And Sit In My Brain, The Stand, Edinburgh * * * *

As well as being a brilliantly offbeat comic Mace is a cartoonist, an inventor of props and now, also a creator of ceramics.I won’t tell you what he has been making, as it would spoil the surprise. But he is taking commissions for these rather accomplished and eccentric works of art.

His new show also features a graphic recreation of his brain, a happiness machine and a cardboard TV studio which is the setting for a class-busting comedy serial he dreamed up in a fit of rage.

This is an angry show. Mace rages against the social and political elite, against thoughtless posh TV presenters and their condescending money-saving tips. One of his most eloquent fits of expletive fury is directed at the cast of Friends. He’s also pretty annoyed with his own brain. The Geordie comic has been struggling with anxiety and depression for years and he’s getting very weary of the battle constantly going on in his head. But as he says – the moments when he is on the stage are the happiest of his life.

So it feels OK to laugh when he rant , raves, swears and curses. It is cathartic for him and for us to publicly acknowledge that life is sometimes absolutely terrible, unpleasant and unfair. There’s an irresistible innocence and charm to Seymour Mace which flies in the face of reason. It’s hilarious to watch him trying to make the sound guy laugh by making the cues impossible to follow. And it’s lovely to see teenagers in the audience crease with laughter when they realise swearing can be both entertaining and therapeutic.

Until 25 August

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