André De Freitas welcomes us into the room with a “come in, grab a bed.” This is because the so-called ‘Cinema Room’ at The Brass Monkey is filled with what can only be described as the ‘longue’ parts of several sofas, meaning we’re more sprawled than seated. So, naturally, De Freitas jumps straight into a story about an experience at a sex club.
While there are some good jokes, there aren’t many big laughs
De Freitas lets us know that the show’s title is basically no title because it’s a work-in-progress show that he is “writing and working out as I go along.”
Unsurprisingly, it is a little all over the place: there is an extremely loose thread about De Freitas maybe being cursed by an ex-girlfriend, which by the end he attempts to full circle with an airy ‘we are our own curses’ message. He makes a callback to a joke he forgets he didn’t make. He mentions a Black friend who doesn’t feel Black enough because he doesn’t feel like he’s experienced racism, apropos of nothing.
Sex and drugs are referenced throughout, as has come to be expected from a De Freitas show, which might have been too much for a four o’clock show. We’re a tepid group so crowdwork, where De Freitas usually shines, is kept to a minimum. While there are some good jokes, there aren’t many big laughs as seen in his online presence.
De Freitas made his Fringe debut last year and part of the show description for As Yet Untitled was ‘Just like André: this material is maturing.’ De Freitas comes close to some semblance of substance when he says his mum has cancer, which made him realise he doesn’t really know his parents so has started to take them out on ‘little dates’ - “I’m finding out we have nothing in common.” Maybe another year to fully flesh out the show - and come up with a title - would help him do more than scratch the surface.
