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Underbelly, George Square – The Wee Coo
Caught in two minds between theatre and stand-up comedy, this show proves insubstantial on both accounts.Summary
Rating
Ok
Cathal (Colman Hayes) is best man at the wedding of his last friend to marry, but when the time comes for him to make a speech he can’t find his notes and decides to ad-lib. In his mid-thirties, eternally single and visibly in the midst of a breakdown (Hayes does a great job of looking lost), he hops between topics, either regretting the past or recalling embarrassing anecdotes about himself and the other guests. This quickly turns into an improv stand-up comedy based on crowd work, in which it is virtually impossible to discern any theatrical features – if not the play-pretend to be at a wedding.
On the day I attend, the Wee Coo in George Square Gardens is full to the brim – some people are even having to stand at the back. Laughter is a frequent response, but not from everyone. I imagine the audience to be very much divided between those who expected a scripted “dark comedy” (the show is listed under the theatre new writing category) and those with the lower expectation of a stand-up act. Belonging to the first group, I am disappointed with the offering. Perhaps because the equivalent in real life – the friend who’s had one too many and makes it all about themselves – is so cringeworthy that the performative equivalent is equally irritating. Almost as frustrating as the performer’s tendency to drop a joke and stare in the distance until the audience reacts.
Together with an unconvincing delivery, the piece is dotted with inconsistencies due more to poor attention to detail than script necessities. For example, upon arrival we’ve all been asked whether we are there for the bride or the groom and split accordingly to either side of the room. This is a good trick to have us all immediately on board. However, when Cathal addresses people from the audience, he picks randomly from either side and, as a guest of the bride, I have the groom’s parents sat in front of me.
The tempo is set at an average speed throughout, whilst stilted jokes become increasingly heavy handed. In one scene Cathal addresses a random girl in the audience as his ex-girlfriend but (stay with me) she is now with another boyfriend who’s sat next to her. It turns out that she’s pregnant, which is unfair because HE wants to become a father too and, anyway, he should be the father of her child because he loved her so much from the first time they kissed and she said “I have a boyfriend” to which he replied “don’t worry, I’ll take care of it”. Cringe.
This is a show that loses its way early on and never quite finds an opportunity to redeem itself. It doesn’t have enough spine to classify as theatre, nor sufficient verve to be considered stand-up.
Written by: Mikey Fleming & Colman Hayes
Directed by: Mikey Fleming
Produced by: A Few Words Theatre
Best Man plays at EdFringe 2023 until 27 August, 2:50pm at Underbelly, George Square. Further information and bookings here.
