Stuart Kennedy ´Shitegeist´ (4.5 stars)

The Scottish comedian´s debut hour show, full-run performance at The Edinburgh Fringe 2022 (Paradise Green, The Snug, 20:20)

Stuart Kennedy Shitegeist  (4.5 stars)

Stuart Kennedy is from The Island, Lewis and Harris to be precise, an area as distant and remote as the corners of his brain from where the seeds of his comedy seemingly derive; an island that can 'boast' a family lineage so depraved it can barely be mentioned (unless you're Stuart Kennedy tonight, of course!)
With a solid bedrock of narrative - which is at the same time tragic AND heart-warming - Kennedy expertly intersperses uniquely keen observations, absurd patter and good old-fashioned yarns, weaving them into the fabric of the overall plot like the tweed for which the island is famous.
What grabs me is how expertly Kennedy can switch between earnest solemnity and throat grabbing, expletive-drenched frenzy. Never dwelling too long on any one hardship, Kennedy's disarming use of words and timing create a compelling paradox between likability and alarm: 'I want to hug this guy, but will I walk away with the use of all my limbs?!'
Although by no means essential, it pleases me greatly to see a progression and arc within a set - especially if you've been unwittingly taken along for the ride - but ultimately there need to be laughs, and tonight's set has those in spades.
The show continues apace before finally, all loose ends are adeptly tied up like a sheep's stomach full of spicy offal, leaving us wondering where that last hour actually went.
For a debut show to include so much personal backstory, it remains to be seen where Kennedy can possibly go next, but if the first instalment is anything to go by, then we'll be in for a hell of a ride!
Header Image Credit: Olga Camacho

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Leona Sock

Leona Sock

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