Andy Zaltzman: Satirist For Hire @ The Stand

Satirise This: Zaltzman is well known as one half of the hugely popular podcast duo responsible for The Bugle, here he returns to more familiar territory opening up with the now de rigueur pre show commentary, although he has added a welcome twist. With the lapsed Jew confessional out of the way it’s time to settle into the contractual obligations hinted at in the show’s title. Ticket buyers are encouraged to email Zaltzman ahead of attending with their gripes. While this ensures no two shows are the same, it also leaves him reliant upon the whims of others for the topics discussed. It would be wise to put some thought into your request – at this point in Fringe proceedings most of the more popular issues have been raked over a hundred times.

With today’s topics ranging from Blakes 7 to payday loans via cooking croquettes, Zaltzman had called upon the services of Google and obviously had a lot of research to do. The resulting satire is of the light variety and noticeably devoid of any opinion. A few of the topics are side-stepped altogether, allowing him to shoehorn in material of his own choosing. This is a welcome deviation, as the extra preparatory time shows with the funniest moments of the show, the other highlights being the all-too-believable-but-totally-bullshit facts that pepper proceedings.

There are plenty of laughs to be had and it’s a show that will get better with each performance. Tickets are selling well so grab one while you still can, and try helping out a little by submitting something he can really get his teeth into.