Gareth Morinan Is Playing the Numbers Game [B]

Gareth Morinan likes his women the same way he likes his data: compatible with Microsoft Excel. Recently promoted to infamy within Fringe circles, the London-based comic has returned to the festival with a nerd-friendly stand-up show about dating and data analysis.

Morinan, now reputed rather for his role in a Fringe scandal than for his ability as a comic, did address the scandal during the course of his set. In the marketing for this show, Morinan bought up eleven individual adverts on the same page (avoiding directly buying a half-page ad) in the Fringe guide, against the rules of the Fringe. Morinan’s savings from the stunt and the subsequent row over his behaviour earned him a great deal of free publicity and accordingly this Free Fringe gig was far more packed than usual.

To his credit, Morinan did not dwell on the scandal. Instead he executed a largely successful set of romance and spreadsheet-based comedy. Morinan wields the projector cue with an experienced air and is adept at knitting the element of surprise into his delivery. The series of graphs and charts thrown onto the screen were used to deft aplomb and played to his geeky, nervous persona well. To combine the amusing shock value of slideshow-aided performances with an exposition about modern dating takes skill, and for the most part Morinan managed to tie the show together with his infectious enthusiasm and self-awareness.

However, there were sections of Playing the Numbers Game that dragged – the gags that relied on Morinan’s original animations, which were extremely DIY – and his perplexing need to drop meme images into the presentation being the primary culprits. Both were overplayed throughout the show when they should have been used only minimally. Additionally, he was hampered by his inability to improvise faced with an uncommunicative audience and the resulting interruptions in pace to the set.

Gareth Morninan’s show was promising, but lacked the payoff and comedic punch that his publicity seeking antics anticipated.