Larry Dean @ Assembly Checkpoint
Larry Dean’s at the top of his game with this hour about an amicable breakup
A mutual breakup is often even more painful than a messy one. Luckily for Larry Dean, the retelling of his is frothy and, at times, filthy. But it’s not just about his very recent heartbreak (apparently only two weeks prior to the Fringe). He also tackles confidence issues and the joys of finding your other, opposite half.
He’s a naturally affable comedian even with his crazy eyes and gonnae-fuck-you-up brogue; revelling in using them to their full comic potential. A gifted impressionist, he imagines his mother’s voice as a whale and his father being so intensely east-end of Glasgow that he constantly looks like he’s sniffing his own breath.
It’s a well-crafted hour too. His spiel about how in a couple there’s always an organised and disorganised partner isn’t just to highlight his own experience; it reflects the show’s structure too, with Dean becoming less organised without his partner, jumping in and out of different stories and timelines. There’s real heart in it as well; the bittersweet end note is sure to bring some teary eyes to the room.
A talent for mimicry and a gift for storytelling makes Bampot underlines why Dean is an ever-rising star.
Larry Dean: Bampot, Assembly Checkpoint, until 26 Aug (not 15), 5pm, £8
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