What does art look like when it doesn’t come from struggle? You’re looking at it . Finlay Christie, or Finale as he’s known on the mean streets of Islington, is at Monkey Barrel 4 this year with his show, I Deserve This. This is his second time at the fringe, and he is back this year with thoughts on trauma, poshness, and tips on how to be cool.
His set started out extremely strong, riffing through boyhood versus manhood, his school friends’ battles against the weed crew, and studying pumpum at university. The show was structured around a potentially hilarious powerpoint that he seemed almost embarrassed to be using at times, especially after the 45 minute mark.
The routine could do with tightening, especially in transition moments, but it’s early days of the run and Christie was so good on his feet I have no doubt any wrinkles have been ironed out now that the previews are over. He is charming and current, and the under 25’s in the crowd (myself included) had a great time.
As someone who only knew Christie from a few viral TikToks, his comedic talents translates to stand-up in an impressive way, especially given his age. Christie is not inventing a new genre of comedy per se, but his show is thought out, eloquent, and familiar, like your funniest friend times ten. His insecurity is relatable, and unfortunately palpable during the weaker moments of the set. That being said, I laughed the whole way through, and would recommend it to any of my friends looking for an after dinner (and dessert, the man comes on at 10:40pm) show.
Finlay Christie’s I Deserve This is on at 22:40 in Monkey Barrel 4 until 25 August.
Image by Rebecca Need-Meanar