Fringe comedy reviews: Sarah Keyworth, Rob Auton and more

Sarah Keyworth’s account of coming out as non-binary is a perfect show for difficult times.

Comedian Sarah Keyworth

COMEDY

Sarah Keyworth: My Eyes Are Up Here *****

Monkey Barrel Comedy (Venue 515) until 25 August

Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33), 19 August

Look beyond the sound and fury of the culture wars and you’ll find evidence of good people, surrounded by love and support, finding ways to live more comfortably in their bodies. An absence of conflict might not suit the algorithms, but it’s what a lot of folk need to hear right now.

Sarah Keyworth, who’s now 30 and recently came out as non-binary (“On the Titanic I’d be allowed on the lifeboat, but I’d be expected to row”), has created a flawless hour of comedy about getting gender-affirming top surgery, and it’s hard not to want to shout enthusiastically about it from Arthur’s Seat.

Joking that people usually come to see them for their “voluptuous knockers”, Keyworth, with the lightest of touches, talks us through the physical, administrative and psychiatric aspects of the procedure, illustrating with ease just how innate and straightforward it feels for them. Along the way, they treat us to an unrelenting stream of jokes and anecdotes about everything from having ADHD and hero-worshipping their brother to logistics of a friend’s lesbian foursome and the incongruous presence of a male stripper at a “them” night (a hen night for non-binary people).

At its heart, though, this is a love story to Keyworth’s family, their mother in particular. The comic jokes about having been so adored as a teenager that they felt as if they were in prison, but woven through it all is proof of how fortunate they know they were to have had this unfailing and non-judgemental support.

Sarah Keyworth has written a perfect comedy show for difficult times. The jokes are written with precision and delivered with casual charm, the storytelling is mischievous and informative and the message, without ever feeling mawkish, is natural and timely.

Ashley Davies

COMEDY

Sid Singh: American Coloniser ***

Just the Tonic at Cabaret Voltaire (Venue 338) until 25 August

Sid Singh is, he says, 50% American, 50% Indian and 50% British. Just go with him on this; when Sid is angry it is best not to cross him. And boy, is Sid angry. Let us just say that, as a brown comic with a show about his Indian ancestry, he takes issue with some of the opinions expressed in a certain award-winning show by an equally brown comic. But he is taking issue with almost everything – with colonialism in all its forms, with the US, with Rishi Sunak (of course), with biryani and with the idea that planting a mango tree outside your grandmother's house somehow makes everything ok. I know, I didn't really understand the full thrust of Sid's attack either. But his ancestral explorings unearth troubling revelations (no one likes to be on the side of the bad guys and there is no coming back from having a great grandmother who was the head of the Secret Police in Hyderabad), and there is a lot of injustice to pack into his hour. Fans of swearing will delight in Sid's bravura display of packing the word 'shit' more times into a 30 second sentence than you could imagine possible.

Kate Copstick

COMEDY

Rob Auton: The Eyes Open and Shut Show ****

Assembly Roxy (Venue 139) until 25 August

Surrounded by flickering candles and wafted by the scent of jasmine, Rob Auton takes his audience on a trip. He reminds me for a moment of Jack Kerouac and the Beat Poets. Although his soft Yorkshire tones could not be more different, he is not afraid to tackle the big questions of life.

He starts with eyes – what happens when they open, and what happens when they shut. Part of what he’s doing here is as simple as a game of peek a boo with a toddler. Is something there when we can see it? Does it go away when we close our eyes? There’s a section which feels rather like a yoga class, where Auton reminds us of our existence as physical bodies. It’s an odd thing to find in a stand up show, but it’s powerful, bringing the audience together, breathing, feeling, aware of ourselves and each other.

His love of words is almost palpable. And there is a feeling of frustration when a line doesn’t land how he intended. But Auton knows his craft and the odd mistimed punch line will undoubtedly be fine-tuned over the next three weeks to bring all the big laughs to the front.

I loved his meditation about wandering around Australia looking like Jesus and finding himself confronted by a vicar about his lack of faith. He may not be a believer but Auton is a seeker, a philosopher and a poet who makes beautifully funny theatrical shows which are a genuine delight. He makes you laugh and makes you think, whether he’s talking about trains, sandwiches or Eckhart Tolle. The ending to the show is a thing of wonder, a meditation on graveyard inscriptions inspired by Sylvia Plath. You will walk out feeling transformed. And fully alive.

Claire Smith

COMEDY

Glenn Wool ***

Laughing Horse @ the Counting House (Venue 170) Until 24 August

Glenn's wife left him in December last year and they are divorced. There are only two other divorces in the room tonight, so Glenn doesn't get much empathy. But he gets plenty sympathy, because he is a lovely guy, and he gets laughs, because he is a very funny lovely guy. His decades are talking him through his trauma, and he is coping well enough to bring us some quality 'genius jokes'. Few comics attempt that particular comedy niche, but Glenn's Einstein material achieves the Holy Trinity of stand up – funny, clever, and shocking. He has thoughts on British colonialism, hates acronyms, is not at all fond of Ipswich and has some breathtaking stuff on the Royals. This part of the hour is proper old school, stand-up rage and it is wonderful to see. Luckily and legally, truth is an absolute defence to an allegation of libel up here. Fans of Russell Brand are also in for a shock. Glenn is much 'craftier' than he looks with his set. The highs and lows, the tirades and the silences, are cleverly put together. Still getting shivers about Charlie's fingers.

Kate Copstick

COMEDY

Stand-Up Philosophy with Alex Farrow **

Laughing Horse @ the Counting House (Venue 170) until 25 August

I think I had misplaced expectations of this show, because I thought there would be a lot more philosophy. MC Alex Farrow is excitedly charming, Benji Waterstones engagingly vague and Catriona Dowden sweetly diffident, so the fact that the hour did not quite qualify as either stand up (although Catriona's dissolution of the monasteries schtick is a high point) or philosophy didn't matter. Farrow's guest line up changes every day but his audiences are always allowed to quiz them on what they have said. We all have a lovely, relaxed, occasionally thought provoking time, and learn a little about magic mushrooms.

Kate Copstick