4

	Underbelly, Bristo Square (venue website) Comedy 1-11, 14-26 Aug, 7:15pm-8:15pm, 9:05pm-10:05pm; 12, 27 Aug, 9:05pm-10:05pm; 13, 31 Aug, 7:15pm-8:15pm Reviewed by Martin Lennon
Recommended for age 14+ only.  Recommended for age 16+ only.

I saw Andrew Maxwell on a historic day for him: he was able to celebrate Ireland's gold medal at the close of the Olympics, as well as a rare sunny day in Edinburgh. A deserved nominee at last year's Edinburgh comedy awards, Maxwell offers here an insightful, honest show about politics, religion and travelling.

Commended last year for his deftness in adapting his act to the London riots, it was clear from the start that his material this year would be very much topical and relevant. Smartly, he used the early stages to look at local matters such as the collapse of Rangers, Scottish independence and the Royal Family.

This was clearly too much for two middle-aged women in the audience, who took offence and walked out, heckling him with cries of “you’re crap!”  This was unjustifiable – Maxwell had not been offensive at all – and he seemed a bit rattled.  He got on with his show in a rather dignified, professional manner, observing that “people need to understand the context so I can make the jokes”.  But he did let it change the flow of the gig a bit, which up until that point had been full of energy.

However, Maxwell plainly had the rest of the crowd on-side, and continued with his with usual non-confrontational style of comedy – dedicating most of the second half of the show to stories about his travels in America.  While not always free from controversy, he had a unique ability to educate rather than preach. Like us, he is just trying to make sense of it all, and never professes to have the right answers. His views on the Duchess of Cambridge’s dietary constraints were met with a hysterical response, while his Belfast impressions were right on the money. But aside from these jokes he was able to probe deeper, and get a thoughtful response from the crowd on matters such as the John Terry court case.

There is no doubt however that some of his material was at times too political. Heavy subjects like Mormonism and Greek debt seemed to alienate the crowd slightly, and his views on the Olympics didn’t win anyone over. I also, personally, missed the angrier side of his personality, although in the few gags where he did use that it was pitch perfect.

At times he has the politicised realism of Bill Hicks and the languid style of storytelling of Dylan Moran. When he gets his storytelling right his comedy is electrifying and of the highest standard, provoking emotions that make you laugh and think at once – something rare these days. Two ladies ‘crap’ is, in this case, one man’s ‘brilliance’ – and by that standard, Maxwell is one of the ‘crappiest’ comedians around today.