Ted Hill is back at the fringe with another PowerPoint show that is perfect for anyone who has been told they’re too weird, don’t make much eye contact and love water voles.
Coming off his loss to a dog on Britain’s Got Talent (BGT), Hill has gathered the audience to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Everyone is given signs that has “too weird” and “not weird enough” written on either side for you to guide him on what direction his comedy should be headed.
The audience interaction is where Hill really shines, trying to figure out small talk, testing the audience for autism and even a game for an audience member to play.
Unfortunately for Hill, the audience he has gathered from BGT is not best suited to his comedy, as quite a few jokes don’t land, with the crowd often putting him into a bit of a spiral. It seems that a younger and more neurodivergent crowd would have been more sympathetic to his American mink ramblings. Furthermore, if you end up seated toward the back, you will miss quite a few jokes as they are exclusively on a screen to read, so arrive early.
Hill’s humour is surprisingly dark for his vibrant exterior. It was incredibly impressive to experience the shift between jokes about creatures and a puppet with a funny voice to guns, religion and paedophiles. He is able to balance a tone of innocence and awareness expertly making for a grounded experience overall. However, it did seem he was pandering at times, scared to push a joke too far which I felt held him back slightly. Additionally, some jokes were just too weird, but in a way that they were peculiar additions and unfortunately didn’t receive much laughter.
Overall, PowerPointdexter is a show about insecurity and trying to hold on to a newly found audience. If you have been a fan of Ted Hill prior to his BGT appearance or are neurodiverse, I’m sure you will enjoy the show, otherwise it may be too weird for you.
Ted Hill: PowerPoindexter is running until 30 August (excluding 18th) at Studio Five at Assembly George Square Studios. Buy tickets here.
Image Credits: Rebecca Need-Menear.
