Fringe science: the number of people crammed into a venue is directly proportional to the liberties a reviewer can take. Full house: You can sit at the back and discretely take notes. Or play with your phone. It’s not as if anyone’s watching. Half full: Notepad away. Phone away. Pay attention, lest one of those mischievous comics swipes the scathing critique you’ve been scribbling and holds it aloft for public scrutiny. Empty: You are the show. Your participation, along with the two other souls in attendance, is essential for this thing to work. Don’t even think about sneaking off for a pee midway through and never coming back.
The G Spot promises an hour of stand up from a revolving array of comedians who happen to be in town this month. For the record, there are a lot of comedians in Edinburgh this month.
Tonight, we’re served comedy fare from a quartet of stand-ups, as well as repartee from host JoJo Sutherland. With her dry wit and blunt humour, JoJo’s seen and said it all. She likes the F–word, loves a drink and would relish a smoke, had the right to breathe carcinogens in an enclosed space not been outlawed. With JoJo Sutherland at the wheel, the show is in safe hands. There may only be three paying public in attendance, but dammit, we came here to laugh and laugh we will.
A Geordie comedian delivers five minutes of passable patter. It’s a little odd, but by the standards of the Fringe, it’s well within the bounds of normality. Next up is the vivacious Shelby Bond. Straight out of LA, the stand-up is a blur of white teeth and glossy hair. The accomplished comic throws in some quips about his nice guy name and metrosexuality. Shelby could hold court for hours without overstaying his welcome, but time’s up and it’s on to the next one.
A Zimbabwean named Wayne falters through some jokes about home life and being mistaken for famous black people. His material’s good, but a comedian shouldn’t need notes for a five-minute routine – or even an hour’s routine for that matter – but it’s OK, we’re a forgiving crowd. All five of us.
JoJo Sutherland returns to do what JoJo does best – say F*** a lot and make people laugh – before Aussie comedian Yianni rounds off proceedings nicely.
The show is billed as gay-friendly but, if truth be told, sexual orientation has little bearing on proceedings. Whether you’re a fabulous princess or a bastion of heterosexuality, there’s little to fault with this simple hour of stand-up. It may not have reached the G spot, but it certainly hit the spot.
