Erich McElroy returns to the fringe with what is essentially a potted history of presidents, from Bill Clinton to the current nominees. The focus is heavily on Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s current campaigns. McElroy delivers a monologue which, although very amusing and excellently delivered, is fundamentally flawed. Should McElroy try to educate a British audience about American politics, thus keeping his observations light and more accessible? Or, could he delve beyond the commonly known things about candidates but risk losing the less knowledgeable audience? McElroy chooses the former. If you watch the Daily Show on Comedy Central or the BBC app there aren’t many surprises, although the audience is certainly kept smiling.
McElroy is missing an excellent opportunity to interrogate the reasons why the Trump campaign is still in the running. And even more so what a Trump presidency could actually look like. This would have appealed to those who know nothing about US politics as well as any ‘politicos’.
To be fair to McElroy, he does admit to being a Democrat yet is still able to openly criticise Hillary’s credentials. Ultimately though, McElroy is simply not keeping up with what Trump has said this week… but who can I suppose?
The most positive thing about this show is Erich McElroy himself. He is funny, likeable and self-deprecating. He is presenting some interesting observations about British people which may be where a future routine is waiting. But topical material needs to be kept up to date.