Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Waggish prankster Sam Campbell returned to the Fringe 12 months after scooping the Edinburgh Comedy Award in the most Sam Campbelly way possible – a single ten-minute performance in one of the festival’s biggest venues, the 750-seater Pleasance Grand.

And yet still some people arrived at Bulletproof Ten five minutes late.

With a few comics having a claim to be the hardest-working comedian on the Fringe – the likes Mark Watson sometimes pulling in a 24-hour-plus shift, like an idiot – Campbell got the publicity coup and the attention of the industry (many of who helped bulk out the room last night) by being the least hard-working.

Given his propensity for mischief, there was always the possibility Campbell would muck around even with this unconventional format. Maybe he’d have a support act? Throw in an interval? Or overrun ridiculously.

But apart from cheekily taking his sweet time to get to the microphone, Campbell delivered, as promised, 600 seconds (maybe a bit more) of A-grade, offbeat material. He might not be working much on stage, but his inventive mind’s doing overtime away from it.

In a maelstrom of absurdity, he complained about hotel lift design, suggested his stand-up is an amalgam of the two Jerrys (Sadowitz and Seinfeld), and brilliantly described how changing his debit card has made him feel like a wealthy benefactor whose patronage must be obsequiously courted.

He masterfully coped with the notorious eight-minute slump by recruiting Mark Silcox to call time, ringing a handbell as he called for the Australian to start wrapping up. That was the cue to present his research into big toe lengths on the big screen, leading to a ridiculously inventive piece of audience participation.

If he’d served up this for an hour, it’d be five stars all the way. But we must adjust for time, so a perfect 0.83333333333 stars.

Published: 17 Aug 2023