@ Festival Theatre Studio, on Sat 7 Nov 2015
Do you find yourself nostalgic about that magical time of year when the clubs are open until 5AM and days are spent in dark, hot, cramped rooms with strangers watching a comedian do unspeakable things to a carrot? Then you’re in luck with Gilded Balloon Comedy nights. Bringing back a bit of the festival once a month with comedy showcases, The Studio at Festival Theatre reminds us what a great comedy hub Edinburgh can be the rest of the year too.
First up is the host for the evening, Glaswegian Scott Gibson () who does a fabulous job of getting the energy up from the cold, damp Edinburgh crowd. He masterfully plays off the audience going from flirting with the table of mum’s on a night out to the young military bloke with rapid fire banter getting everyone involved in his jokes.
Keeping with the Glaswegian theme, Keara Murphy () takes the stage in her slightly awkward style where she starts with borrowing lip gloss from one of the mums in front seemingly unrelated to her jokes. She started strong otherwise with her jokes about Gaelic porn and the slightly over done promiscuous woman material. The audience didn’t seem to with know how to react with some of Murphy’s jokes being met with silence. She seemed to lose her train of thought a few times missing the flow of her jokes. With more practice and polish, Murphy has the potential to be very funny, it just doesn’t come across tonight.
Chris Forbes () starts with jokes about strangle wanking and how Welsh people are made, hilariously lowering the tone from the beginning. No subjects appear to be off limits including disabilities, dogs licking balls and making loud animal noises, however Forbes nails his delivery and the jokes go over well with the audience despite some of his controversial subject choices.
Rob Rouse () headlines the night with a fantastically physical and funny set complete with a sporty tache. He starts off sounding like a cool mature comedian living in a shared flat which as it turns out his annoying roommates are actually his children. As talented at story telling as he is at telling jokes, Rouse brings potty humour to a new level describing his children’s’ loo and hygiene habits in such a way that most of the audience have probably never felt so close to boaking and laughing at the same time at a comedy show. An extended monologue about Rouse’s first prostate exam was so vivid it left the crowd feeling a bit violated themselves. By the time Rouse finishes the audience is in tears and choking with laughter. Rouse is one to watch with his charming animated style that leaves everyone feeling satisfied after a brilliant night of comedy.
Check out the next Gilded Balloon Comedy Night Saturday 5 December at The Studio at Festival Theatre featuring headliner John Hastings. It’s not quite the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but the comedy showcase still scratches that post festival itch until next year.