Phil Nichol: Aren’t We Lucky comedy review – An infectious sense of joy
The veteran stand-up continues to hone his assured, chaotic and spittle-flecked sense of showmanship
It’s 20 years since Phil Nichol won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for The Naked Racist, a full-throated, chaotic and wildly physical account of a debauched weekend in Amsterdam. Now aged 60, you might expect the livewire comic to have calmed down, but there’s no sign of that in Aren’t We Lucky. The Canadian was raised by Scottish parents Ian and Ethel (both now in their 90s), and their infectious joie de vivre clearly rubbed off on their son. Much of the show is dedicated to their various antics and idiosyncrasies which he brings to graphic life with a deft sweetness.
After a signature, spittle-flecked rant about the futility of belief, Nichol segues into the core theme of his show: that we’re all extremely lucky to have ended up right here, right now, in this room. He considers various events from his own life and those of his family and friends, and explores the role chance has played in each. Much of it examines the illness and subsequent fortunes of his musician friend Kevin, while there’s also a delightfully bitter and deeply unexpected story concerning Ed Byrne’s possession of one of Prince’s guitars.
Throughout the hour, Nichol rattles from one story to the next, injecting everything with gallows humour and an almost supernatural enthusiasm. It all builds towards a chaotic crescendo involving an extraordinary, drug-infested meeting with his future in-laws, although he even manages to turn that into an endearing ending.
Phil Nichol: Aren’t We Lucky, Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 30 August, 5.20pm; picture: Steve Ullathorne.