Performing in the Cellar at Pleasance Courtyard, Northern Irish comic William Thompson takes to the stage to deliver a very safe, somewhat uninspired set about his cerebral palsy, growing up in Northern Ireland, and his dating life.
In a sign of things to come, the set started with some crowd work, going for the low hanging fruit of “aren’t the English ignorant”. Then, he began to explore a narrative around acknowledging his hidden disability. This was something he came back to multiple times throughout his routine, but without ever having anything particularly funny or interesting about it, more just restating that he had it, and that growing up with his condition was challenging.
Other topics included sex faces, a prolonged and predictable piece about his Spanish class, and a forfeit they used to play in school called ‘eyebrows’. All of it was very safe, and elicited a few polite laughs from the audience, but nothing sidesplitting by any stretch.
The few times he did manage to find second gear, there were glimpses of the comedic talent that I’m sure William has, but it didn’t come through anywhere near enough to do him credit. Similarly, right towards the end of his show, he spoke about wanting to make his adopted mother proud but never getting the opportunity. This shift in tone was jarring, and again, wasn’t explored enough to be edifying.
Leaving the stage with very little fanfare, and after only about 35 minutes of an advertised hour, it felt as though William wasn’t satisfied with the way the set went down – much like the audience.
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