Bad things shouldn’t happen to nice people. But they do. Many Fringe shows have a greater ambition than their reach and seeing someone try and not quite succeed, despite good intentions and talent, is quite painful.Steve Pretty’s Perfect Mix Tape is a case in point. The show revolves around a mixtape made by one of his friends for Steve’s wake. (Therein lies a tale.) On this tape is Steve’s favourite music, ranging from Norwegian Jazz to the Macarena. Pretty is an extremely talented musician and manages to do justice to this very wide range of styles even using a relatively inflexible instrument like a trumpet.The simple fact, though, is that this is supposed to be a stand-up show and Pretty isn’t that funny. Earlier sections, such as his wry examination of the more obscure styles on the tape, raise a smile. But as the show progresses, Pretty lets his muso side take over and the results are a little hard to appreciate without specialist knowledge. The show is also quite technically complex and again, while this is impressive, it does mean that Pretty ends up trying to do too many things at once, neglecting the comedy.Steve Pretty is an accomplished performer but it feels like this wasn’t quite the show for him. Ten points for effort, two stars for outcome. Sorry Steve.
