Andy Zaltzman will be best know to most audiences for his political comedy, podcast and radio appearances. As the crowd comes into the Stand III, milling around, chatting, taking their seats or buying a beer, you become aware that rather than music playing, theres a commentary going on. About Zaltzman, with two pundits debating his imminent arrival on stage as if he were a heavyweight boxer. Shut up and listen - this is a treat of an introduction to the show.In tells the truth Zaltzman doesnt just stick with the political satire. The first half of the show, and for my money the most successful, focuses more on the personal including the birth of his son, in which he played a larger than usual role. This allows some great one-liners and strong images, whether its the thought of a stenographer in the bathroom or his son appearing like Tom Cruise on a warthog.The show questions how much we want the truth and where in the world someone is being told bullshit right now (err, everywhere). This allows him to cover lots of ground and bring us firmly back to the political for the second half. Unfortunately the day I saw the show Andy visibly started to wilt at this point. He let us know he was suffering with a cold, and it became apparent that must have been accompanied by a humdinger of headache as his delivery became less assured and more hesitant. Because of this its hard to judge the second half of the show, and what it would be like if he was on top form.Zaltzman is a charming, intelligent and relevant comedian, taking hilariously surreal turns alongside up-to-date political commentary - well worth going to see. I hope hes over his illness and back to full health for the rest of the Fringe.
