Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Towards the start of Sardines, Chris Grace does a ‘checks notes’ mime to assure us that it is indeed a comedy show, despite its subject being the deaths of several loved ones. The title references the hide-and-seek game, with the comic feeling like the last one standing as all those close to him gradually assemble elsewhere without him.

It’s no spoiler to reveal the demises, as one of the questions he raises is ‘can you enjoy something while knowing the end?’ Another is, ‘Does art help you cope with grief?’ The answers are ambiguous, as it’s no spoiler that Grace does not solve the mysteries of death that have confounded humanity for millennia within the bounds of a 50-minute Fringe show.

Despite Grace’s insistence, Sardines is probably best seen as a theatrical monologue with a few funny bits more than an out-and-out comedy show. The tone is profound and thoughtful – and while there may be laughs, especially when he recalls his relationship with those he’s lost (and, incongruously, getting us to recreate a Rihanna banger) – it's his philosophies which will stay with you.

He was first forced to confront mortality when his sister died before his parents – ‘breaking a contract with the universe’ that his immediate family would die in age order – and the performer soon became prone to panic attacks when thinking of all the things he would miss out on after he went.

Other deaths raise other issues, from the parts of us that vanish when a loved one passes and their memories are lost, and whether dying alone might be better than surrounded by loved ones. Grace does conjure a wryly funny image here. 

While being broadly affectionate, the actor does not sugarcoat his relationship with his father, who is stubbornly unaccepting of his sexuality. So again the emotion here is sadness. 

Don’t goexpecting LOLs and you’ll find a tender and thoughtful meditation on death, with the performer being honest and revealing about himself within a captivating and intimate performance. 

Review date: 6 Aug 2024
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Assembly George Square