By Lisa Clark
Save for a “revolutionary microphone technique” Simon Munnery is not presenting a grand artistic statement with this years Fringe show. In the past he has embodied silly characters or had presented big ideas. This year is a look at himself and he gives us what seems to be a greatest hits compilation with numerous addendums. In other words, all the brilliant bits of Simon.
Having not seen him since well before “The Disease”, there were some hilarious tales about his family that were new. Stories involving his teenage daughters are given the Munnery twist as we get some delightful insights into his life off stage. Also new is a list of friends who have passed – some well known, others not in the public spotlight. They are behind him on the wall. He seems to be gradually working through in memorium in his own way, telling brief funny stories from their lives. You won’t get tales of all of them. Maybe he’s only doing one or two a night, it’s hard to tell, but this is definitely a very nostalgic show.
We get the witty word play, absurdist asides, silly songs/poetry (you will never listen to Bob Dylan the same way again), flip chart jokes (rediscovered out the back of The Stand) and numerous, humorous anecdotes, that make him such a beloved performer. His “show in a shopping trolley” methodology allows him to use his always adorably absurd props in his left of centre jokes. He’s always been a bit of a prop comedian and he can surprise with some pretty insightful political swipes, but it is is his gentle brand of whimsy and ridiculousness that pulls it all together and always delights.
He goes beyond his often low effort engagement with the audience by presenting an interactive multimedia segment that is wonderfully daft. Back in the day, he would take the audience to a nearby pub afterwards, so the show could keep going, but don’t expect that level of engagement these days.
The Stand 1 during the Edinburgh Fringe is the only place to see Simon Munnery on his home turf. The audience is packed with fans who’ve seen him before, we know because he asked. If you’ve not experienced the weird gentle world of Simon Munnery, this one would be a great introduction, do yourself a favour.
Simon Munnery is on at The Stand until August 26