It’s an un-seasonably sticky Edinburgh evening as David O’Doherty trudges onto stage in a plaid shirt and baseball cap, his grey beard belying his 47 years. As he himself points out, he could be mistaken for a pre-execution Saddam Hussein.
Casting an avuncular gaze around the room, O’Doherty identifies imaginary friends in the audience, including his parents Jim and Anne, who play a recurring role. The opening vibe is somewhat flat and it takes some time for O’Doherty to find his flow, not aidedd by a long trail of latecomers.
As the room temperature starts to cool, the comedy warms up. This year’s set is as ever, keenly observational, both quirky and current. There’s a dystopian portrait of climate change and a lot of autobiographical material, which may or may not be true; cyber fraud, cycle theft, lingerie shopping, they all get the O’Doherty treatment as he delights in irreverent examination of the absurd. In his lilting Dublin accent, his delivery is often deadpan.
On other occasions, effecting pseudo outrage, he rails at what he views as the various frustrations of life in 2023, irritations as diverse as fruit-flavoured vaping, celebrity chefs who’ve run out of recipes, and the disaster of visiting the loo without your mobile phone. To call this musical comedy is something of a misnomer. The trademark small Casio keyboard acts as more of a useful prop, providing tinny chords and ostinato accompaniment to the half spoken/half sung ditties. Their generally happy tunes contrast for comic effect with often quite black humour. It’s an effective comic device that O’Doherty has made his own and his recurring visits to the Edinburgh Fringe are testament to its success.
The comedy isn’t rude or crude and will have almost universal appeal. There in n element of the big kid about the tiny piano man and it’s no surprise that when he’s not travelling the world entertaining audiences far and wide, he’s penning best selling children’s fiction.
‘Tiny Piano Man’ runs until Sun 28 Aug 2023 at Assembly George Square – Gordon Aikman Theatre at 19:20