My mum, a boomer who barely watches any comedy, left Big Strong Boy declaring it “funnier than Bill Bailey” and the best comedy she has seen, “Ever.” Frankly, if you have got higher praise than that, I would like to hear it.
She is not wrong. Liam Withnail’s hour of fast-moving comedy tells a beautifully woven tale of moving experiences from his life. I am glad I got to watch it, and I think you will be too.
Fringe reviews love to tell you everything is spectacular, but this really is. I am not allowed to swear in this respectable publication, so I will say this: Withnail is really f*cking funny.
At its heart, the show is about happiness. He talks you through his take on life satisfaction, and his journey towards it, celebrating 10 years sober.
Growing up in Dagenham with his parents, his first love, MyFitnessPal, and the safest place to keep loose change are all recurring themes. The effortless way he circled back to the themes he had threaded through the show made you wonder if you were watching a powerful piece of one-man theatre disguised as comedy. Every callback drew that collective gasp-laugh of people realising they had been in safe hands all along.
He was open about deeply personal topics in ways that were both heartfelt and funny. His delivery was pitch perfect, and he dabbled with some non-threatening crowd work. By the end, it felt like a standing ovation was called for. With no odd turns whatsoever, this was uplifting comedy.
He has not reinvented the wheel, but he has got all the key parts near-perfect. If you do not enjoy the show, I can only assume you hate joy, and possibly your own mother.
Big Strong Boy is running until 24 August (not 13) at Monkey Barrel Comedy.
Buy tickets here.
Image courtesy of Corinne Cumming, provided to The Student as press material.