It's been two years since Mark Watson brought a full show to the Fringe. That was with a show called Flaws, which covered his struggle with alcohol. This year it feels he has embraced and somewhat overcome his Flaws (not least because he was drinking wine while on stage) to tell us of a stressful journey he undertook to Sydney once.
Watson was heading to a comedy gig in Sydney when he was stopped at Heathrow Airport for a microscopic rip on the photo page of his passport, and he then had to endure a 23hour journey to potentially only get stopped and refused entry. That is the tall and short of his tale, but the way he manages to weave such incredible tangential anecdotes, and observational humour means this story lasts a full hour, and I could and would quite happily sit and listen to another. That might have something to do with his innovative way to deal with the typical 40 minute lull.
It felt like the show was going to go into some examination of identity, and although it was touched upon occasionally, it wasn't really tackled in any meaningful way. There were plenty of quips attacking the peculiarity of our new digital world, where everything is data, and we no longer have (or need) physical assets. Not exactly a new topic, but Watson gave it a refreshing spin.
Crowd interactions were on point, but not in the typical 'pick on the crowd' style way. Watson genuinely comes across as an incredibly humble and sincere person; instantly likeable and never comes across as arrogant – an easy risk when you are so successful and have the crowd literally in the palm of your hands.
There was barely a moment that the crowd wasn't laughing, such was Watson's talent and ability.
He is a must see – if you can get tickets!
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Mark Watson: I'm Not Here is performing at Pleasance Courtyard at 21:00. Tickets and information are available on the EdFringe website
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