One of the fastest rising young comedians from across the pond, Michael Che is back in Edinburgh for a third year running with his new show
A great mix of ad-lib and scripted material, Che has a natural stage presence and a good feel for the fringe audience.
Having found his success on Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show, it is clear why Che is one to watch. His set has a fantastically casual, unscripted feel while playing on the classic themes of race, sex and nationality. Having put real thought into the direction of his jokes, Che is at his best when he says what you wish you could say. Although he never aims to offend, he has a wonderful honesty in his delivery and a super laid back attitude to his more fiery material. With his set stuffed from start to finish with audience interaction, it is a joy to watch a comic who really wants to mix up his act every night. But as Che says himself, crowd work is hard work, and it is this in part why his set falls a little flat.
Che has a tendency to use the house too much and at times he struggles to move on from an interaction. Although he is largely comfortable when confronting the audience, some of its more active members seem to visibly phase Che and he often overcompensates as a result. While he always finds his way back to the set, he increasingly relies on old material. His attempt to tweak his material to a British audience is admirable, but some jokes remain a little too American to really hit home.
Che is a naturally funny man and for a first timer to one of his shows his set can is a good laugh, but if you’ve seen Che before you’ll find very little which is new. A definite talent with a bright future, Michael Che has great potential but on this occasion he seemed to lack the dedication.
