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The Late Show - One4Review

* * * * *
5 stars

It’s almost 1am.  Why am I standing in the Jelly Belly at this time of the night waiting for a show to START?  Why am I not snuggled up in my bed back home with a good book and a cup of cocoa?  The Late Show, that’s why.

The Late Show is now a bit of a staple on my review schedule as it regularly offers up 2 hours of some of the finest comedians on the Fringe.  Normal life will be resumed in a couple of weeks, but for now I’m perfectly happy to be up past my bedtime  and queuing with the rest of the crowd awaiting a slice of late-night comedy action. 

It’s fair to say there’s not a cup of cocoa in sight, and this crowd are eager  to be entertained.  Fortuitously there seem to be a few entertainers in town.  Compere Rob Heeney warms us all up but it’s the first act that really gets us going.  Glenn Wool strides to the stage and immediately owns everyone in the room.  He’s loud, he’s magnetic, he’s . . . drunk?  Nevertheless he’s thoroughly entertaining, seizing on the opportunity provided by a backstage fan to launch into an impromptu rendition of ‘November Rain’ in all its big-haired, windswept glory.  He also makes us laugh a lot too, which is a bonus.   He’s supposed to do 20 minutes; he probably ends up doing about 40.  There’s your value for money right there.

After a quick comfort break, Heeney’s back and introduces us fairly swiftly to Stephen Carlin.  Carlin is less high-energy than Wool, but it’s a nice counter balance.  His short (in comparison) set goes well but it seems that the late hours are getting to some audience members and they head for the door.  Quitters!  Their loss however, as the last act to the stage is one Reginald D Hunter who makes his way to the front of the room to rapturous applause.  This is the great thing about The Late Show, you’re given the opportunity to see acts who are selling out across the Fringe, as well as acts who you may not have thought about seeing.

At 3 am it’s all over, and whilst many of the audience are preparing to carry on their night elsewhere, I make my way back home to type up this review through bleary eyes.  I’m fine with the sleep-deprivation though, as The Late Show is definitely one worth staying up for.

Di

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