Alfie Brown: The Entertainer comedy review – Twists and tirades
Coming for modern attention spans, political posers and comedy critics, Alfie Brown’s Fringe hour is ever-witty and timely
Having written a show about being cancelled, what’s left for Alfie Brown to say? That’s the quandary as he emerges on stage in a multi-coloured clown suit, decries a comedy circuit reduced to content farming on social media, and grows increasingly frustrated with the contradictions of leftist politics and venality of the right. We’re in comfortable Brown territory, then, which is to present a veneer of intelligent calm before frothing over into wild ranting.
Where he changes in direction is in his commitment to giving common stand-up subject matter (parenting, dogs, Trump) the dark twist he’s known for. Big questions are floated: is the age of the hour-long Fringe show over when Instagram reels are a priority? Are reviewers redundant when no one reads anymore? But they’re tentpoles for an incredible array of jokes, told with a satisfying commitment to discomfort. If Brown truly is sick of the stand-up game, he’ll be sorely missed.
Alfie Brown: The Entertainer, Underbelly Cowgate, until 30 August, 5.50pm; picture: Jack Finnigan.