About ten minutes into the show, John Tothill turns to the audience and asks the question: “How obvious is the ADHD?”
John Tothill’s return to the Fringe is nothing short of exceptional. His candour in relation to his ill health, bad luck, and opinions on the world intertwines comedy with the inexplicable twists of life, letting his show reveal to the audience how attitude can change outcome. After suffering a near death experience during last year’s festival and funding his run by participating in a medical trial that entailed his willingly getting malaria, Tothill’s dedication shines throughout his performance.
The show contains jokes that weave its way throughout the entire production, keeping the audience hooked onto every word. Anecdotes of a rocky residency on a CruiseShip, his admiration for 19th century oyster lover Edward Dando, and the lost art of gluttony lead to his captivating recollection of his hospital stay last Fringe, and how his comedic demeanour never dwindled.
With card tricks, conversational tactics, and fierce dialogue on the beauty of a Domino’s pizza, the production feels more like an intimate gathering amongst friends than a performance. Donning the fashion of an English grade schoolteacher, and the wit of a brain begging for an Adderall, John Tothill delivers a comedic performance bound to be one of the best in the Fringe.
John Tothill: This Must Be Heaven is running until 24 August at Beneath at Pleasance Courtyard.
Buy tickets here.
Image provided to The Student as press by John Tothill