one4review | On 04, Aug 2023

Tom Stade “from the 90s” is a well-liked regular on Edinburgh Fringe, with a large committed audience of returners who introduce friends every year to a very enjoyable hour. Hence his show is selling out nightly, and everyone leaves with a smile on their face which broadens as they find Tom waiting at the entrance to thank them personally for coming along.

Just in case the show title has put you off, there is no need to fret. It is definitely fun and lighthearted. There is some gentle and amiable audience interaction, and neat callbacks to those. Tom has that special skill of keeping his mostly male beer-drinking audience goodnatured, in the palm of his hand.

By now you are probably wondering what the show is actually about – what is its theme and its narrative arc etc etc? Simply put Tom pulls us along with his everyday life experiences which are often off the wall but everyone can relate to. He even touches on dementia and other topics which can make an audience draw in a breath wondering where this is going, but we are safe because the smile on Tom’s face never disappears. And he laughs along with us about his foolish insights, confirmed when he says “Everything I say tonight I have personally laughed at” and we are guffawing when he says it, so what more can anyone ask.

4.5****
Reviewed by HJ on 3 August 2023
Stand 1
20.30 (1hr)
Until 27 Aug (not 14)