This is part of a series of shorter reviews from Edinburgh Fringe, August 2024.
A staple of the Edinburgh Fringe since 1995, the Big Value Comedy Show is an opportunity to showcase talented new comedians. The show was presented by Ross McGrane, who warmed the audience up and introduced each of the three acts. McGrane did a great job at making the audience feel comfortable, finding out a bit about various audience members and coming up with some quick witty responses as they answered his questions.
The first comedian to be introduced was James Beatty, an Essex-based comedian who took a great deal of time explaining what Essex was like to some American audience members, which proved to be very funny. He also spoke a little about the various jobs he’d had in the past, but in all honesty, his short set proved a little forgettable, with no stand-out moments that stick in my mind.
Next up was Garrie Grubb, who took no time in introducing himself as a gay comedian, and gave many funny anecdotes about the quirks of being in a same sex relationship. He also spoke a little about recently adopting children with his husband, recounting a hilarious tale about the story “The boy who cried wolf”, a tale which was then referenced at the end of his set, bringing the 15-minute routine to a neat close.
The final comedian was improviser John Oakes, who turned the love story of two audience members into a Shakespeare monologue, complete with iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets. To end his set (and end the show), he performed an improvised rap, with the help of a loop pedal, some beatboxing skills and random words shouted out by the audience. A great taster and a shame we couldn’t fit his full-length show into our schedule.
The three acts that we saw provided a great deal of laughs between them, although it was a shame that all three were male, white and from Essex. It would have been nice to see a bit more variety in the show – but “Big Value Comedy Show” provided a great taster of some different comic sets, and I would recommend to anyone who wants to get a flavour of upcoming comedic talent.
Tom Morley, August 2024
“Big Value Comedy Show” plays at Just the Tonic at the Subway at 3:25pm until August 25th.
Ross McGrane’s show “Get rich or cry trying” plays at Just the Tonic at the Subway at 12:45pm until August 25th. James Beatty’s show “What a time to be alive” plas at Just the Tonic at the Subway at 4:45pm until 25th August. Garrie Grubb is part of Best in Class, plaing at Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters at 7pm until 25th August. John Oakes’s show “Rapscallion” plays at Just the Tonic at the Subway at 7:25pm until 25th August.
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