Oftentimes when you go to a stand-up show, a comedian will attempt or fix or comment on a problem in the world, at least by providing a series of observations that you can’t really disagree with. Ted Hill Tries and Fails to Fix Climate Change does the complete opposite; Hill centres himself and presents a series of ridiculous solutions only to be tempered by his AI assistant, Stephen. Hilarity ensues.
In-depth satire that provides relief from the ongoing existential issue of climate change
Armed with a PowerPoint and David the polar bear, Hill creates a show of in-depth satire that provides relief from the ongoing existential issue of climate change. The comedy stems from the gap between our knowledge on the issue and Hill’s nonsensical presentation that includes solutions that are very far out of the realms of reality. In fact, there’s no room for it or snowflake liberalism here, because if we were actually to carry out Hill’s proposals, snowflakes would no longer exist. When he starts to satirise major polluters, it’s not scathing in the way we’d expect it to be, but with a good-natured joshing that subverts our expectations and sets the tone for the remainder of the show. Ted Hill Tries and Fails to Fix Climate Change is gloriously nihilistic in its approach to the issue at hand. Good-natured and light deprecatory teasing of the occasional audience member only serves to further the point that he is making, and as a recompense, an audience member gets to wear a cool hat, a fair trade.
One thing that Hill needs to do is be more confident in himself. Sure, this show doesn’t solve climate change - it’s in the name - but overall, he delivers his material as if he is teasing the issue, his one-liners pack a comedy punch, and he is constantly making a joke in some form. He just needs to stop backtracking and apologising when he thinks things are going wrong - they aren’t - and own the persona that he builds up throughout the show.
Stephen the AI support act deserves a special mention. His addition is genuinely hilarious, correcting Hill at every opportunity, and giving the original punchline a boost.
Although it is very clear he has put a lot of effort and thought into his solutions for climate change, it’s safe to say that policy makers can safely rule these ‘fixes’ out. Whilst we are left on a rather defeatist note, it puts the problem into perspective, leaving us with one singular truth that we can use to move forward with our lives.
