Review: Clown Fish Out of Water, Etcetera Theatre

Ever felt like you were a comedian who doesn’t fit in? Standup comic Stephen Catling certainly does: he’s a Clown Fish Out of Water and preparing to plunge into the deep at Edinburgh Fringe this summer with his brand new show. 

If you’ve never seen Catling’s work before, be prepared for the utterly ridiculous. He’s been compared to the Mighty Boosh, but is actually much more authentically weird than that. Catling explains that he’s autistic, which means his reality can feel fabulously different from the norm. Everything that happens in the show (give or take a couple of straight gags) comes from his wonderfully unique mental mayhem, and you should definitely expect the unexpected, including bizarre rubber masks, peculiar props and splendidly silly audience interaction. 

Tonight at the Etcetera Theatre he’s managed to fill a room at 7pm on a Sunday night (hats/masks off for that!) and we’re treated to the show as a work in progress. Admittedly, the tech is occasionally a bit clunky – perhaps a new feature bedding in – but that aside, he’s really got this ready to go to Edinburgh. It’s then just a matter of the audience tuning in to his unique style before there are loads of laughs all the way through the evening.

It’s not only clownfish on the menu (so to speak) tonight; many animal related scenes cause hilarity and bring welcome confusion, from overstimulated octopi to Robbie Williams singing in a chimp voice. We consider the over-commercialisation of the entertainment industry, including nostalgic Disney remakes and what a Jamaican crab really sounds like (sit well back from the splash zone). We also take more than one moment to imagine together (and hopefully manifest!) a new version of Oasis as gastropods. What I wouldn’t pay to see that. Nor are vegetables forgotten, as we share a salady snack and collectively howl in hilarity at a scene-stealing burlesque lettuce. Tell me you’ve seen that on stage before…

Catling tells us he has trouble with human interfacing, but perversely one of the best things about his performance is his interaction with the audience. Whether it’s daubing them with shaving foam or high-fiving the first two rows, they’re eager to embrace the madcap mischief. He puts himself out there so honestly that you can’t help but like him, even when things don’t quite go smoothly. After all, who really cares if his octopus cum won’t come? We’re rooting for him to succeed nonetheless!

You’ll laugh cos he’s bonkers, you’ll laugh at the gags and you’ll laugh cos there’s actually no-one else quite like him.

Catch this clown fish at Hoots @ Potterrow this summer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and read more about the show in our recent interview.

Written by Stephen Catling
Produced by Ingenious Fools Ltd

This run of Clown Fish Out of Water at Etcetera Theatre is now finished but the show returns for the Edinburgh Fringe in August.