Graham Dickson @ Underbelly Cowgate
A documentary premise and Hollywood setting give way to muddled ideas
Graham Dickson is a talented comic actor. He can also craft a joke like a champ. But for some reason he can’t quite marry the two in this confusing, muddled hour loosely based on the #metoo scandal. The whole show plays out like a Netflix documentary, but also like the popular podcast Serial, and if that sounds confusing, that’s because it is. The show almost goes out of its way to give you little to no information or even context. Which is a shame because when the characters and jokes come, no matter how well Dickson crafts them, you're unsure of what’s happening and it’s difficult to muster a laugh.
The premise is at least interesting: Hollywood is in ruins because the men have turned into monsters and the women have all left. Now one female documentary-maker is heading back in to speak to ‘The Bear’ who may or may not have caused the whole problem. What follows is a series of to-camera character pieces that don’t add up to anything more than a wasted opportunity other than for Dickson's showreel. No matter how good Dickson is, or the stage production is, it can’t quite save what is a messy theatre piece.
Graham Dickson: Timber, Underbelly Cowgate (Iron Belly), until 26 Aug (not 14), 5.30pm, £6.50-11.50
Scroll on to read more of The Skinny's 2018 Edinburgh Fringe comedy reviews; click here for a round-up of all the best reviews from this year's comedy and theatre programmes