Rik n Mix is actually a showcase of three comedians combining their short sets to make an hour long show compered by Rik Carranza. Consequently the show varies greatly in quality depending on who’s on stage, leading to a rather hit-and-miss experience.
First up on the bill on my night was Rod Hunter, a fifty-something-year-old Glaswegian making his first steps onto the comedy stage. Being completely honest, whilst I admire his attempt to do something as nerve-wracking as stand-up, he doesn’t do it particularly well. I found his reliance on ejaculation jokes and contrived puns underwhelming and, at times, a little creepy in the close confines of the Espionage back bar.
Thankfully, things looked up with the arrival of baby-faced local comedian Gareth Waugh. This is proper stand-up; excellent callbacks, self-deprecating humour and a couple of brilliant shaggy-dog stories delivered in a dry Scots accent which makes everything at least five percent funnier by default. His slowly developing story of trying to buy booze in a small Scottish village is superb - definitely my highlight of the evening.
Naturally, given that he’s put his name to it, you’d expect Carranza to be the funniest comedian of the night and he does indeed give Long a run for his money - albeit with slightly more standard material. His material about the eccentricities of his family, the tiny town he grew up in and his woeful teenage attempts to chat up women is amusing but nothing revolutionary. There are a few surprises though, especially his song about Internet-user comments which takes a very amusing turn at the end. Some of the material was a little flatter but still succeeds. For example his closing song, ‘W**k Sock’ felt a little immature but on the other hand I did find myself humming it as I walked down the street.
Rik and Mix is, overall, a better-than-average piece of free Fringe comedy. Carranza is a charming MC and, depending on the guests he has in, this show has the potential to be extremely fun.
