Underbelly, Bristo Square
Until August 24th
Wrapping up a day at the Edinburgh Fringe with a show at Bristo Square’s Underbelly Dexter venue felt like the universe coming together, and to a head. I was there to see Alfie Packham’s ‘My Apologies to the Chef,’ a stand-up performance to set our spirits aglow.
A blacked-out room welcomed him on stage as he set out his comedy stall, all glittery with consummate and commanding punch-lines. Before us lay a small table sat draped in blue silk, and a comedian very comfortable with the mic. His set was laden with poignancy, covering a whole swirl of topics; from race, to weight and childhood adventures, with a kind of spontaneous revelry – while admitting to his personal nerdiness, and seeing if this audience could do the same.
The show was carefully plotted & reinforced with a bitter, yet formidable humour, resulting in a laughter-giving audience. His clear comedic edge comes from working hard in the industry, not to mention the creative osmosis injected via his journalistic activities. With rapid flows tempered with provocative silences, his material jostled, kicked the dirt, and poked around the profounder spike of things.
Riding Alfie’s veritable fun bus was a real pleasure, and I looked forward to every new joke, for he had a way of making you unsure what was coming next, but eager to find out. He throws himself out there completely, and at one point he had me going so much I couldn’t stop laughing my lungs out.
When it came to an end of this flying, satisfying, joke-entourage of a performance, I was still ready for more of a show filled to the brim, and over-spilling, with the comic mastery of a writer with a brighter future.
Daniel Donnelly
themumble.uk 