Edinburgh and Beyond
Paramount Comedy Presents the Edinburgh and Beyond Comedy Tour
Pleasance Dome 21:45, Aug 22, £9.50 (£8.00)
And on tour through the autumn
****
The Paramount Edinburgh and Beyond Comedy tour should be winging its way to a town near you shortly – the Edinburgh event is a precursor to this annual showcase of some of Britain’s best comedic talents.

This year’s shenanigans are hosted by the effervescent scallywag Russell Howard who, along with Chris Addison, really made the show a laugh riot.

After some opening banter from Howard, Steve Hall took the mike and although amusing was not exactly hilarious. Hall has some witty and intelligent takes on embarrassing real life situations, however, he lacks the charm of the likes of Howard and Addison.

Marek Larwood was a whole other kettle of just-what-the-hell-is-going-on-here?! Marek posed himself as Brian, a first timer to the comedy circuit and portrays accurately the bunny-caught-in-headlights look. However, the funniest part of Larwood’s routine was the fact that he kept forgetting about the pseudonym and referred to himself as Marek.

Chris Addison is arguably one of Britain’s finest comedians, which makes it sad that this was his only Fringe appearance this year. Addison is a master of intelligent observational humour and is almost as excitable as Howard which makes the pair an absolute joy to watch. The ticket price is worth it for those two alone.

by Johanna Robertson

Russell Howard - Wandering