Witty, full of puns, and anything but uninteresting, Name in Lights is a free-flowing performance that bears an aura of genuineness. McCaffrey’s explanation pertaining the name of this year’s show turned out to be relatively simple: scorned and underestimated by his teachers as a child, McCaffrey strove to ‘shove it’ to an old headmaster. As he once said, “One day I’ll have my name in lights”. Unsurprisingly, McCaffrey seems to possess an inferiority complex of sorts, which incidentally successfully complements his sarcastic delivery.
The evening started with a few questions aimed at the audience that served as an icebreaker of sorts. A fair bit of improv ensued, followed by a few English jokes regarding the weather and welfare of the Scottish people. Switching gears, McCaffrey humorously reminisced about his many years spent running a bar in North London. Though most of his anecdotes resembled something out of the film Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; nonetheless, they proved amusing. Arguably the funniest segment of the night was the story of an induction saga at a new gym. We all know they can be awkward, especially when in McCaffrey’s case, your abilities are constantly underestimated to the point of frustration. Highlights also included a fairly accurate description of the game of golf: a great way to kill a friend.
The performance ended with a punny song that coagulated and neatly presented an overview of the night’s material in a short five-minute period. Notwithstanding several isolated moments distinctly lacking in comedy, McCaffrey is clearly a natural comedian. Witty and entertaining throughout, he is undoubtedly one of the dark horses of this year’s festival.
