Bruce Fummey’s show is a chronicle of his learning the native language of Scotland. He shares his experiences of learning at various places such as Skye, Isla and Elgin, and how he learnt about others and himself through this experience.
Fummey works as a supply physics and maths teacher, but there is no doubting this man’s comedy credentials. A sharp, on-the-ball comedic instinct and a witty delivery style belies a deliciously devious and dark side, and he shows throughout a real understanding of Scotland and the humour specific to it: at no point, however, does he risk alienating any tourists or even English people in the audience. A jovial and bright attitude also goes a long way to winning over his audience in just the first few minutes. In my opinion, if Fummey left teaching and took the comedy plunge, he would definitely swim rather than sink.
That said, this show does have issues. While it is obviously going to be about the language of Gaelic and Fummey’s experiences of it, his love of the language and teacher’s instinct somewhat dominates the show. Fummey is, at times, too keen to teach his audience the ins and outs of the language, as well as its history and Scottish history in general. As a result, his comedy is often lost in a long-winded story about Scotsmen at the Alamo, for example, or the correct pronunciation of a certain Gaelic pronoun which, while interesting, is not what the audience is there for. The show often seems more like a man telling you about his learning Gaelic with some jokes thrown in, rather than the other way around. There is definitely enough comedy to keep the show going, but it is all too often over far too soon.
This, then, is a frustrating show: not because it is bad (it isn’t), but because Fummey clearly has the potential to be so much better. The jokes and comedy that did make it through hinted at a real talent and a brilliantly sharp and quick sense for humour. Unfortunately, like a badly mixed cocktail, it is overly diluted, in this case by things Fummey finds interesting and his more general experiences, rather than orange juice. The explanation of this show is of course crucial: an hour talking about Gaelic and Scotland would mean little to many without some teaching and phonetic spelling. However, it needs to be curtailed more than it has been so that Fummey’s wit is allowed to flourish and get him the attention that he deserves.
