one4review | On 16, Aug 2013

If anything could go wrong in a person’s life and it does then Phil Ellis’s is a perfect example.

A relationship end, a job loss, living in a shared house at 30 and at Xmas time he is told that he was adopted. On top of this his Edinburgh show is not going entirely to plan.

He tells in a rambling way this story punctuating the hour with gags, banter with his techie James adding to the content and the ensuing chaos of things going wrong, wrong sound effects, wrong pictures et al leave the audience giggling and almost squirming in embarrassment in equal measures.

But the gremlins haven’t finished here, hell no, as the poor guy seems fated to fail. But does he?

This is a cleverly constructed and staged show that should be witnessed by all. There are surprises throughout, some good, some less than, and one never knows when it will end for poor Ellis. And even when it has, has it?

For a change form an hour of plain straight forward stand up take a chance on Phil Ellis and I get you’ll be impressed.

****

Reviewed by Geoff

Underbelly Wee Coo

Until 25 August

17,25 to 18.25