An objectively nice guy. Approachable. Kind, even. All the buzzwords Jordan Brookes wants you to be hailing him with by the time you leave the basement of Monkey Barrel Comedy 3. Jordan Brookes is back from his 2019 Edinburgh Comedy Award win, and in some play on the media ‘Be Kind’ frenzy – Brookes is determined to demonstrate to us that he is, in fact, not confrontational. Let’s repeat that, Jordan Brookes is *not* confrontational.
This Is Just What Happens is a wild hour of stand-up mixing anecdotal and physical comedy – plus some pretty cursed material on Captain Tom and an inappropriate dream about his uncle. In a bid to rewrite his own narrative, Brookes spends this hour reassessing himself after being called a slimeball three years ago – something that has grated on himself for the longest time. It’s something he can’t shake off, so he attempts to do so in front of us. He asks people in the crowd what they do, and even when someone unexpectedly replies with “I’m a coward” Brookes is all smiles and support – to a mildly concerning level.
According to Brookes, all you need to excuse your behaviour is to say that it’s for your anxiety – cue Brookes messing about with a metal stool for an hour. This set is pretty bizarre, but that’s the charm in it. Regardless of how random the content actually is, Brookes manages to keep everything flowing throughout from talking about his insecurities and losing his virginity late to needing an emotional connection with a partner – these are the personal chapters of his life that he navigates through. This show is multi-dimensional and Brookes weaves through it with the most unusual and slightly surreal delivery.
Brookes is an unreliable narrator, but he’s compelling. To be honest, no one can come out of this show and really know what to believe. It’s silly, outrageously goofy and literally involves watching a man heckle himself for an hour – that being said, it’s also funny and if Brookes doesn’t frighten you already then you’ll probably enjoy it.
For tickets and more information, visit edfringe.com
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