Review – Best of the Edinburgh Fest

We’ve already talked about the Best Of series that The Gov is running throughout the Fringe. It’s a fun way to taste test a few comedians in a low-stakes environment (i.e. not too close to the stage, and not too much money invested). The broad points of the Best of the Fest Late Show also apply to this, the Best of the Edinburgh Fest, otherwise known as the early show. It’s a little less jam-packed, with only two comics getting full sets, and a third doing an effective emcee job in between. It’s a little calmer, a little less raunchy and, on the Tuesday that I went, a little bit emptier. So, bearing all that in mind, read on if you’re interested in my thoughts on the artists involved.

The emcee was Jimmy McGhie (pictured), a Brit with a charming groundedness that easily endeared him to the crowd. He seemed genuinely interested in the audience in his opening chats, getting the crowd involved and discovering whether everyone was having fun. It’s a common tactic, of course, but McGhie’s obvious glee at spotting audience members with unique outfits, or getting unexpected answers to simple questions, made the warm-up before the first comic’s set fly by.

First off the ranks was Kai Humphries, a slightly coarser Novocastrian, or to use a term more people would be familiar with, sadly, a Geordie. His slightly bogan stories of his weed-smoking brother and unfortunate sexual escapades were certainly not high-brow, but lead to many a laugh. There’s an art to the telling of your embarrassing stories, yes, but it is also hard to feel truly impressed by them either. You get to enjoy their mistakes, and the way the narrative is framed, but Humphries was not quite able to tie together his motley selection of funny encounters in a way that added up to anything greater. No real thematic revelations, or even cumulative comedy from the succession of tales and callbacks. Just funny stories, which for many people might still be enough.

After another funny interlude by McGhie, Daniel Sloss took the stage, and you can find thoughts on him from the other night in the review linked above. The Best of the Edinburgh Fest is the tamer younger brother of the Late Show, so if you have parents with a curfew or nostalgic Brits in tow, there’s plenty for all to enjoy. Just don’t expect the mystery and excitement of spinning the roulette wheel and seeing who walks in the door.