Irish comedy superstar Neil Delamere returns to Edinburgh this Fringe to tell the spectacular story of the time he went to go buy a new watch. As he narrates his encounters in aeroplane duty-free stores, rural pubs, and hard to reach Irish beaches, Delamere proves himself to not only be a riot but a masterful and engaging storyteller.
What is unique about the show was that it is genuinely unique. Sure, he uses pre-prepared lines and stories, but from the get-go, it is clear that Delamere loves including the audience, so that it feels like our show. We laugh as he picks on people’s jobs, where they’re from, and as he challenges them to answer such important questions as “How much semen should a man produce?” The best part is that it doesn’t stop there; not only does he engage the audience, but he builds off of their answers. With incredible wit and comedic timing, Delamere makes repeated callbacks to various interactions with the audience, which really puts the night over the top. It is always unexpected, but refreshing, and it firmly establishes Delamere as a brilliant professional.
Flailing his arms across the stage, Delamere is everything that’s to be desired in a stand up comic. Gifted with the extraordinary ability to express every minute detail of a story, he jumps around on stage with the hyperactive energy of a toddler on a sugar rush. However, that is also his downfall – Delamere’s rambunctious energy eventually becomes one-note and exhausting, and at this point set begins to trudge.
Delamere’s End of Watch is stand up comedy at its best: witty and wry, fast and funny, he truly is in a class of his own. Delamere cements his status as a Fringe legend as he delves into his wonderfully weird and hilarious set, but one can’t help feeling that it was a bit duller than it could have been. Regardless, this is not a show you want to miss.
Neil Delamere: End of Watch is on at Gilded Balloon Teviot – Billiard Room
At 19:30 until 25th August
Book tickets here.
Image: Off the Kerb