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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Brian Logan

Andrew Maxwell – review

There are more topical jokes in Andrew Maxwell's set than practically every other fringe show I've seen, combined. And it's not the facetious twittering that often passes for satire. The Irishman's state-of-the-nation comedy is bolstered by real opinions, forcibly expressed. I don't agree with all of them, and he often seems off-puttingly pleased with himself. But Maxwell deserves credit for making grown-up standup. Who else on the fringe is cracking gags about Laurent Gbagbo?

His opening remarks, about the recent riots, are a declaration of intent: Maxwell won't be dodging the big issues. To a Ukip politician who approvingly cited Belfast as a precedent for turning the British army against British citizens, Maxwell tartly replies: "That's exactly what we need right now – a black IRA." To Tony Blair, whose response to the Arab spring was to worry for Israel, he retorts: "Israel wouldn't feel safe if it was being spooned by the Hulk." This is characteristic: extrapolating mainstream idiocies to reach dramatic punchlines.

It's not all this smart. To play down the significance of the phone-hacking scandal seems wilfully contrary – which would be fine, but this routine is all assertion and no jokes. And there's an overdependence on stereotypes: grumpy Scots feature prominently, and there's a terrible sequence on "the all-African biggest dick contest". There's also a slightly unpleasant section on Edinburgh's junkies.

It's delivered, meanwhile, with a self-satisfied swagger that sometimes grates. There's too much certainty, not enough curiosity. But this is indisputably an effective set, in which Catholics and Irish nationalists, global power-brokers and self-regulating bankers are mocked for their breaches of consistency and their affronts to justice. Although I struggle with his superior air, at least Maxwell has something to feel superior about.

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