Robin Grainger: Lemonade comedy review – Optimistic and touching
The naturally likeable storyteller takes a charming walk down memory lane
Boundless nostalgic feels and bubbles of future-facing hope keep Robin Grainger’s show Lemonade fizzing along nicely, considering it’s being delivered from inside a shipping container. Dressed ‘like a caterer at a clown’s wedding’, Grainger is coming to terms with the realities of being a full-time comedian and Portsoy’s most famous export. Dealing with life’s trickier moments, like ‘trying to find the end of a roll of Sellotape’, his gangly, awkward childhood and the family that nurtured him colour his past and future, reminding us that good things always turn up eventually.
Grainger is a natural storyteller and his bug-eyed, spiky-haired presence always keeps things interesting. Memories of rubbish vending-machine soup, his dad mispronouncing names from Harry Potter, and an endless battle with a robot hoover might not provoke seat-wetting hilarity, but the energy is good and his message of mutual kindness is genuine. A protégé of the late Paul Sneddon, the set’s best moment comes in the retelling of their fraught evening winding up as inmates at a prison Christmas benefit. The parallels between Grainger and his mentor are obvious, and his love for the man is nothing less than touching. With time and encouragement, he may even go on to surpass his comedy icon.
Robin Grainger: Lemonade, Assembly George Square, until 30 August, 8.20pm; Assembly George Square Studios, 31 August, 6pm; picture: Trudy Stade.