Andrew Doherty is back after multiple sell-out runs at previous Fringe festivals, this time with a “new comedy-horror-revenge-slasher-spooktacular” show, seeking vengeance from an unnamed reviewer who gave him a three-star review at his last show, and his horror at receiving one of the “top three worst scores” you can get.
As a reviewer entering this show, I felt the nervous energy in the air as the man next to me eyed my media pass and notebook in hand, while I caught Doherty’s eyes flitting towards the outrageous orange lanyard hanging around my neck. I began to wonder whether I had put myself in danger simply by turning up with a notepad.
Doherty’s management of the stage was confident and comically well-timed. Particularly funny was the increase in the amount of blood covering his shirt and face as the performance went on. His props were simple but effective, using a chalkboard which initially reflected the show’s slightly threatening title, but was used consistently throughout the show for gags and messaging, getting lots of laughs from the audience. He also timed audience interaction brilliantly, encouraging the audience to sing songs with him and directing them in sound effects throughout the show.
Doherty’s wit and sharp observational skills shone through in his performance, and his reflections and characterisations of journalists as inhumane villains had the audience sharing in the humour from the beginning. He successfully balanced caricaturing journalists as “sad, lonely and pathetic” and bullies, while simultaneously making observations about the profession, from the refusal to give out five stars because it “sets a precedent” to booking a comp and then failing to turn up for the performance.
Leaving the venue proudly boasting my badge “I had a three-star time at Andrew Doherty,” I can confidently say that if Doherty was as good this year as he was last year, I too would have written a revenge play to compensate for this. Thankfully, there was no need. This is a silly, wonderfully self-aware show, and Doherty is a delight to watch. Judging by the laughter throughout, everyone involved, including myself as a reviewer, was having a great time.
Andrew Doherty: Reviewers Welcome… TO DIE! Runs until 30 August at Pleasance Courtyard. Buy tickets here.
Image provided to The Student by The Pleasance for press use
