Alex Edelman: Millennial, London
If there’s anything Alex Edelman lacks, it certainly isn’t self-confidence. After coming from seemingly nowhere to win the best newcomer award at last summer’s Edinburgh fringe, he reportedly offered the trophy to any British comic who wanted it, on the grounds that it was too heavy to take home to the US without paying a lot of excess baggage. Edelman doesn’t need a prize to validate his status; he knows he’s great and he’s not afraid to flaunt it. This debut show sees him openly staking a claim to be the voice of his generation, and you can certainly see his gloriously facetious approach to life striking a chord with twentysomethings on both sides of the Atlantic. Edelman seems to see life as an endless series of opportunities for scoring points and he doesn’t appear to take anything too seriously – aside, that is, from mastering the craft of comedy. And with his incredible verbal economy providing flannel-free gags in huge quantities, he’s already some distance ahead of his rivals.
Soho Theatre, W1, Tue to 31 Jan
Austentatious, Belfast
Improvised comedy often revolves around the interminable exploitation of the same few weary staples. Embarrassing job interviews. Car journeys with unexpected passengers. Party guests with quirky secrets. Thank the lord, then, for Austentatious, who throw out the rulebook and replace it with probably the most ambitious premise for an improv show ever seen in the UK. Their aim is to generate an entirely new Jane Austen novel at every performance, based on nothing more than audience suggestions and the talents of some of the most impressive up-and-coming comics around. Participants include character comedian Cariad Lloyd, Private Eye contributor Andrew Hunter Murray and oddball Joseph Morpurgo – seen on screen last year as Noel Fielding during the already classic panel show sketch in Harry And Paul’s Story Of The Twos.
Black Box, Wed
Dara O Briain: Crowd Tickler, On tour
Television can have a strange effect on the way we perceive stand-ups. On stage, Dara O Briain is a warm-hearted raconteur of rare gifts, possessed of impish qualities that make him the most overgrown schoolboy in comedy. But TV audiences can be forgiven for seeing him as nothing more than the eternally dry and world-weary host of Mock The Week. O Briain has undoubtedly made a real success of his long-running hosting role, and it has taken him from cult favourite to household name status in the UK. But those who see him as a panel show referee are getting only a glimpse of his true abilities. This show gives us the full package – a consistently delightful trip around the extremely fertile mind of one of Ireland’s finest comic talents.
