Review by Steve Bennett

In a festival full of whimsical storytelling, Karl Chandler is fairly up-front about his aim to return to the art of gag-gag-gag, striking an average rate of one every 36 seconds.

He’s joined by a man counting down the hundred; not on stage, but sitting on it, unseen by anyone but the front row of this shoebox-sized venue, rather missing the point of the gimmick.

Despite what you might imagine, not every gag us a one-liner as Chandler mixes the short-form jokes with more traditional observational material. So traditional, in fact, that you might have heard routines very similar to some of his before – or possibly just thought them yourself: What’s the point of luggage shops in airports? Don’t people taking part in walking races look stupid?

But he’s equally likely to have a unique view or an imaginative way of expressing it, creating quotable bon mots among the mundane. Likewise, the brisker one-liners vary between groanworthy gags, endearing silliness or something a little more clever.

It all contributes to this show’s wild inconsistency. Both in style and in quality, you can never be sure of what you’ll get next. There’s no such thing as a typical Karl Chandler joke, and after hearing 100 of them, it’s still not clear if how good a comic he is. Some flop so badly he has to discount them from the running tally, while others are worthy of the world’s most respected gagsmiths.

Quantity is clearly important to him, and that’s admirable, but even with one-line merchants personality is important, as everyone from Tim Vine to Stephen Wright will attest. Chandler would probably be best advised to find a style and use only the gags that stick to it if he wants to make his mark.

Review date: 5 Apr 2010
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett