The Fringe for many comedians is a testing ground for new material admits Silky. His set does show some problems, but they are contained within otherwise solid material that drew chuckles and the occasional hearty laugh throughout.
Silky has only been recognised three times in his lengthy comedic career and his witty set revolves around this very premise. The odd-looking comic recounts these tales with flamboyance and flair, and despite his tendency to go off on many tangents, he always manages to bring the point home and deliver the crucial line with great timing.
What was quite memorable about Silky’s stand-up was his analysis of the success of certain jokes. He mentioned “50-50” jokes, which are risqué jokes that half an audience will find hilarious and half an audience will find repulsive or too far. His subsequent percentage based analysis of other gags became running joke throughout the set.
The set lacked real meat though. Silky is undoubtedly an amusing man, but he slithered from joke to joke without really recounting the couple of key sketches that can make or break a comic routine. While his material was funny, it was largely forgettable. A couple of his musical numbers were shrewd and witty, but on the whole this becomes an afternoon worth being a part of without it leaving a lasting impression.
