On the very day that the Queen gave royal assent to the Equal Marriage Bill, Chris Fitchew opened his Edinburgh Fringe preview show, quite aptly, with another queen; his character of an outrageously camp wedding planner, which got the show off to a flying start.
Double entendres and one-liners were mixed with audience interaction that everyone loved. Think a handsome Dale Winton mixed with a touch of Larry Grayson, flouncing around the audience dramatically. Have a few stiff ones beforehand, as this is a full on opener. The first of a selection of sketches from Fitchew that showed off his comedic prowess to its full extent.
The real joy in this show comes from the wide variation in characters and sketches. Some are a lot funnier than others. And some could possibly be tighter. But Fitchew is bubbling with ideas and creativity. You can see this from his performance style. The script is well-written and the improvisational sections are quick witted. He pokes fun at modern subcultures and stereotypes, and injects lashings of observational comedy and references.
As a Hillary Devey fan (what gay isn’t?) I must say his take on her is just sublime. The devil is in the detail and the detail is demonically precise here. The “I put the drag into Dragon’s Den” line, and delivery of it, amongst other lines, in this section is brilliant. The other highlight of the show comes in the form of a perfectly executed and thought-out sketch based around Tom Cruise.
The time between character changes are held together nicely with on screen clips from another of Fitchew’s alter egos, Mr. Maximuscle, who is a metrosexual, iron-pumping guy, driven by his own vanity. We all know someone like that. Amazingly, the character doesn’t, as you’d expect, become irritating. You have to laugh at his absurdity.
Coming away, I left feeling as though I’d just watched a stage take on a BBC Three comedy sketch show – when they were good. A very talented comedian who I’m sure has a lot more up his sleeve and one I’m confident we’ll be seeing a lot more of.
Jack of All Trades by Chris Fitchew runs at The Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh. 15.45pm daily. www.edfringe.com
