You’d be hard pressed to find a free hour of comedy at the Fringe as well-structured and thoughtful as ‘Stitches’. The three comedians, Stuart Hossack, James Bran, and Will Ainsworth, each provide an unorthodox and engaging performance which, while not always hilarious, is uniformly entertaining. Hossack’s set is the most traditional of the three. This is to say that it vaguely resembles normal stand up. The performer’s comedy largely functions as a parody of subverted expectations. This is enjoyed by those who have good awareness of the wider genre. From a standard observational gag about pelican crossings, Hossack brings the audience into a hypnotic comedy trance so that he can conjure a dystopian perfect world. This is an unusual and effective vehicle for his evocative ideas and images. Tightly co-ordinating language with music, Hossack’s set is ambitious and, at times, very funny indeed.Bran’s performance is more a monologue than stand up. This falls somewhere between a Steve Coogan character and a Talking Head. This is no bad thing. In his twenty minutes, Bran takes us through his character’s scarring memories. Through these specific examples the performer carves an image of dysfunctional family life. This approach is significantly more challenging to achieve laughs with than your usual Free Fringe observational humour about Twitter or David Cameron. Bran, however, succeeds in creating something both intriguing and funny. Ainsworth’s slot is an impressively composed portrait of the failed sporting hero. His character, an ex-international cricket player of little repute, falls apart during a reading from his autobiography. Of particular note is the skill with which Ainsworth makes his comedy enjoyable both for those that follow cricket and those that don’t. Unfamiliarity with Mark Ramprakash is no barrier to the appreciation of Ainsworth’s material. All this praise said, this is not the peak of these comedians’ potential. Despite feeling polished for a free show, some material still fell flat. All three performers would do well to make sure each part of their ambitious material is independently funny rather than simply structurally necessary. It’s also fair to say that the material requires a both attentive and intelligent audience. Nevertheless, this is an hour which is entertaining, funny, and perhaps most notably very promising for the future. If free is the best sauce, this should leave you with a very good taste in your mouth.
