With a show that is definitely not for the easily offended, Adam Kay reels off a series of his inimitable brand of parody songs with expert comedic timing and the hilarity that only a show about Christmas songs can deliver. The premise of the show is that Adam has been offered the opportunity of a lifetime: a record deal to release a Christmas single. This simple idea opens the floodgates for a whole host of fantastically conceived and sharply witty parody seasonal tunes. No celebrity, recording artist or family member is safe.
Cleverly re-writing songs from Spandau Ballet, Mariah Carey, Cliff Richard, Queen and so, so many more, Kay demonstrates his amazing ability of parody. In the songs the gags come thick and fast, with the audience often cottoning on to the lyrical punchline before it happens (and this can be even funnier than waiting for it). This is referenced directly with one of the funniest recurring songs, a parody of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, in which the verse is a set of hints as to what the chorus will be – a word that ‘sounds a bit like hallelujah’, which the audience is to guess and chant back to Kay. This audience involvement is hilarious and creates a brilliant atmosphere.
Kay alternates these songs, which have made Amateur Transplants a household name at the Fringe, with short bursts of stand-up and brilliant, often crude and offensive one-liners. While there are many comedians who could not pull off these sorts of gags, Kay’s deadpan delivery and doesn’t-give-a-damn attitude means that the audience greets every single one with delighted laughter despite the unsavory subject matter. Well written, fantastically performed and beautifully conceived, this is a hilarious, filthy show that will titillate and entertain with the funniest and most entertaining hour I’ve had at the Fringe this year.
