There’s something special about Love That For Me. Stuart McPherson has created a beautifully crafted show based on a breakup that’s not self-pitying but an hour of non-stop gags that barely pauses for breath.
McPherson touched on the breakup in his 2022 show The Peesh and gives us a neat ‘previously on’ to catch the audience up. His girlfriend left him for another comedian (who receives a pseudonym for the show). The unnamed comedian will come to feature periodically in the hour in a series of weird coincidences that you would dismiss as too unrealistic if they were written for the screen.
It’s worth noting that the show isn’t a bitter takedown of his ex, merely a jumping-off point for realising that at 30, he’s never really been single and exploring what it means to be alone through therapy.
McPherson is an engaging and energetic performer, and the audience is happy to be swept along with tales of dating app disasters, solo cinema trips and the silly things he misses about being in a relationship. Some great smutty stories change the energy slightly for a few minutes, merely because we’re sensing the comedian’s slight unease, but he quickly gets the room back on side.
As well as being very funny, the show makes intelligent observations about the need for Millennials and Gen Z to constantly live with some background noise because who wants to be alone with their thoughts? McPherson is slowly learning to embrace alone time and self-love, however deeply un-Scottish the concept of loving yourself is.
McPherson may not be a household name (yet), but he’s come a long way from his days of working at the Harry Potter-themed escape room that becomes Monkey Barrel 2 every August. Love That For Me is pacy, with an excellent hit rate, and almost feels too short, even at an hour.
And however uncomfortable the comedian is with being alone, that’s a problem for another month because, in August, he’s packing the venue daily by word of mouth. And if you do manage to get a ticket, make sure you stay right to the end for a fun slideshow.
‘Love That For Me’ runs until Sat 27 Aug 2023 at Monkey Barrel – Monkey Barrel 2 at 17:45 (not 16 Aug)
Image credit: Andrew Jackson/@cursetheseeyes