2010 Edinburgh Fringe
Jimmy McGhie review
Jimmy McGhie isn't currently a particularly well known name in the comedy world but, based on this year's show, that's likely to change very soon. The likeable Londoner has come up with a very strong hour for this, his second solo Fringe show. It's a performance that demonstrates he meets all the requirements needed to become a TV star.
A helpful indication that you're watching a hit is when you become worried the person you're sitting next to has actually wet themselves from laughter. That's exactly the case here as, after a slow first ten minutes, McGhie settles in to deliver observational comedy that keeps the audience laughing loudly for sustained periods.
The title Jimmy McGhie has chosen this year is so long it has caused pretty much every listings provider a formatting headache and certainly caused the Pleasance ticket machine some printing trouble. For the record, it's named: The All-Powerful Warrior Who With His Endurance And Inflexible Will To Win Goes From Conquest To Conquest Leaving Fire In His Wake. Yes, 22 words long. The title is a translation of the name that Congo dictator Mobutu Sese Seko gave himself - a man whom McGhie has curiously decided to use as a role model in his attempt to make his life more meaningful. As it happens, the premise is pretty much ignored in favour of observations about everyday middle-class life, although Mobutu does pop up at a couple of opportune moments and provides for a beautifully crafted call back at the end.
It's an hour of mainstream humour, so isn't going to be for those at the Fringe who are looking for subtle thought-provoking downbeat political comedy, that's for sure. None of the themes encountered are particularly original either - the observations are about everyday things like Tesco Metro, iPhones, hippies and annoying trendy media types. Picking up on the unadventurous topics here may sound like criticism of McGhie - but actually this is one of his strengths. His smooth, confident and endearing delivery, and skill for finding a humorous angle in everyday mundane things is actually just the ingredients a comic needs to be able to move into the big league.
There's at least two 20 minute segments from this show which are ready to drop straight into something like Live At The Apollo or Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow - the section on the inability to use technology and his befuddlement of working computer games was particularly well received by the audience, and it was at this point in the show that the neighbouring chair may have got wet.
McGhie is not only blessed with an instantly likeable demeanour but he's also, one has to admit, a fairly good looking chap. These attributes combined with his inoffensive mainstream material almost guarantees that he will be a big TV star sooner rather than later. It clearly won't be long before he's treading the boards of the Hammersmith Apollo and packing out much bigger venues, so grab a ticket now so you can impress your friends by pointing out you picked up on the Jimmy McGhie buzz before the masses.