Tom Craine is a naturally funny and immediately likeable comedian whose show is made up of delightful anecdotes about love, life as a performer and the absurdities of Papa John’s. A show centred on his own humorous experiences, Craine displays a real talent for storytelling and knows how to engage an audience.
The show takes place in the Bunker venue in the Pleasance Courtyard. A fairly small and dingy room, Craine immediately got the audience on board by comparing it to the set of Fight Club. Craine could not be further from Brad Pitt with his gawky appearance and somewhat awkward demeanour. However, this only endeared him to the crowd, and combined with his self-deprecating humour, the audience instantly warmed to him.
He is certainly not afraid to laugh at himself and share with the crowd his own inadequacies. He opens the show with the statement: ‘I am an idiot’ and throughout the set, he tells hilariously funny stories about his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, being attacked by swans and defecating in a driving test. His light-hearted style is easy to relate to and he has a gift for turning the mundane into witty and insightful anecdotes.
A large portion of his show is based around his breakup with his ex-girlfriend. This had the potential for the same, tired, clichéd jokes but instead he uses his fall from ‘nauseating levels of happiness’ to add to his astute observations. The descriptions of his period of post-partner depression are hilarious – we’ve all spent that week in a panda onesie! Despite the breakup of Craine and Nat Luurtsema, they are performing together in another show at the Fringe with comedian Dan Antopolski - Jigsaw – Jiggle It. I am now intrigued to see the show and see for myself if their relationship really isn’t awkward - ‘no, no, not awkward at all’.
Though his laid-back style put the audience at ease, this sometimes lapsed into complacency. At times, his performance could be described as slightly lackluster, though on the whole, it only adds to his approachable shtick.
Crying on a Waltzer is a brilliantly funny show, well worth going to see. Tom Craine seems to have grown in confidence over the years and is proving to be a very promising comedian – a pleasure to watch!
