The joys of leaping into the unknown at the Fringe are exemplified by this very strange performance of Timmy Booth‘s ‘Manhole’. An already eccentric show is further enlivened by an unruly yet friendly section of the crowd. The Seattle resident’s show is already geared to towards audience interaction, but today becomes a weird but garrulous communal experience.

Looking not unlike his namesake, legendary kids’ entertainer Timmy Msllett, the nerdy, almost cherubic Booth is concerned that he’s not living up to the standards of masculinity set the by the men who have been influential in his life to various extents. He’s written down the names of these men – from great grandparents to therapists – and will almost ceremonially deposit them in his ‘manhole’. It’s part surreal comedy of awkwardness and part catharsis. He augments his material with a loop pedal for vocal tricks, comedic repetition and, ‘in lieu of a personality’. He’d go down a storm at ACMS.

It soon becomes clear that there’s a potentially disruptive element, two of whom are specimens of masculinity you would expect assume may not take to Booth’s brand of comedy. The two couples are already extremely well-refreshed. The seem friendly enough but they’re very loud. Disaster looms.

But Timmy leans into it. You get the sense that ‘Manhole’ isn’t the most obsessively structured show on a normal day; Booth the type of individualist oddball used to all manner of audience responses to his material. Even so, his ability to adapt without batting an eyelid is really something. He simply adopts the path of least resistance and begins to include the lairy quartet into the proceedings. Before long they’re showing each other photos of their dogs and making orgasm noises into the loop pedal, layering them up until it sounds like a horny Steve Reich composition. Booth even coasts serenely through the older couple’s frequent snog breaks.

Come the ends, hands are shaken and hugs are exchanged in an atmosphere of baffled camaraderie.No one is quite clear how we got here – a niche Fringe act encountering a noisy group well on the way to obliteration could have been catastrophic. Instead it’s been manhandled into something of a minor triumph. Maybe the shared appreciation of the show’s innuendo-drenched title had something to do with it.

‘Manhole’ may not the be the slickest show around, but something about this particular gumbo of circumstances has sprung forth into a quintessential mad Fringe experience. Timmy Booth is ploughing his own furrow for sure, but the loveably eccentric comic seems to have an innate resilience and a knack for turning circumstances in his favour. An hour of ramshackle, messy goodness that won’t soon be forgotten.

‘Timmy Booth’s Manhole‘ is at Just the Tonic at The Caves – Just the Wee One until Sun 25 Aug 2024 (except Mon 12) at 17:30