Free comedy can either deliver newly discovered gems who have been masquerading as class clowns for too long, or self-believing class clowns who, in reality, relate to a head teacher making a joke in assembly to awkward silence and shuffles. J Murphy in A Tinderella Story struck a rare balance in the middle, in which the Canadian’s stand-up show may have found class clown status in its country of origin, but sadly not to a majority Scottish audience across the pond.
However, the tales of mistaken age and ‘how to blow her pants off with steak’ did have undertones of the comedic, offering a unique take on the experiences of a pansexual person in the chaos of online dating in the 21st century. An original song halfway through broke up the routine, entitled ‘I don’t live with my parents, my parents live with me’ which, while amusing for the first verse and chorus, did go on rather a long time, with the calls of ‘everybody sing along’ sadly landing poorly to a sober Scottish crowd.
It seems a tough job to transfer American or Canadian comedy to a British audience, and the lack of our traditional self-deprecation and slapstick satire felt all too apparent in a show that only produced the odd chuckle, and side-eye to a friend, in the audience.
The stand-up routine was sadly delivered in a rather monotone way which may have been reflective of some opening week nerves, as well as the laugh gaps left by Murphy falling to a silent crowd.
The show was left a very positive review by ‘The Toronto Star’ which begs the question of whether the Canadian comedienne thrives in their home country but sadly not here where stiff upper lips take a lot to be shaken.
To close the show, Murphy asked that the audience ‘swiped right on themselves’ before some awkwardly suggestive hand movements at hip level which solidified the cringey nature of the show as a whole. Safe to say it takes a lot for comedy to straddle the Atlantic, and this didn’t quite make the cut. I don’t think Canadian Katherine Ryan, who did bridge the gap, has anything to worry about.
A Tinderella Story: Swipe, Wince, Repeat is on at 10pm from 5-10 August at Just the Tonic at The Grassmarket Centre. Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/tinderella-story-swipe-wince-repeat
Image by Lara Harb provided to The Student as press material.