The man who set the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest after-dinner speech – a mind-boggling non-stop 12.5 hours – cannot stop talking at the Fringe. Luckily, his show is filled with funny anecdotes, so the audience won’t leave with many complaints.
To the surprising choice of a punk song, Brandreth enters the stage and regales the filled auditorium with tales from his time as a theatre actor, radio and TV presenter, and general well-connected man in British society. As he says, if you aren’t a fan of name-dropping, this show isn’t for you. Those names are very typically British, going back half a century – so, if you’re not heavily clued into the local arts and cultural scene, some of the humour may escape you.
Brandreth carries a sense of ease and belonging on the stage. A snafu with the microphone is handled with such tact, it leaves us wondering if it’s all part of the act. He dips into topics such as the pains of growing old, failed attempts to be cast on popular reality shows, marriage, and a career in media and Parliament. An intriguing aspect of the show is the ‘menu’ – inviting audience participation to choose conversation topics for the evening, thus giving a sense of improvisation and offering something new each night. The humour has mass (British) appeal, mostly. A few shots at low-hanging fruit – quips at the expense of ‘snowflake generations’ and having a trans identity – sit misplaced within an otherwise entertaining show.
Gyles Brandreth’s Can’t Stop Talking! has a nostalgic value in an hour of amusing storytelling – with the caveat that the source of the talking is clearly from a specific time and place within society.