one4review | On 28, Aug 2026

During the many lockdowns of 2020 writer and performer Tom Neenan started painting portraits, a hobby that soon became a side hustle for him. In 2024 he was commissioned to paint a portrait of 86-year-old Yorkshireman Lionel but rather than working from a photo as was normal, he was invited into the man’s home where he would sit for his portrait. And in exploring his relationship with his model, Tom came to some interesting revelations about how we view others and, more importantly, how we view ourselves.

Interestingly, there are relatively few twists and turns to this story, something Neenan lampshades himself at the beginning of the show when he says that “this show ends with a death, and it’s who you think”. But it’s not exactly a show about the story itself, it’s more about the bits alongside it, with Neenan getting distracted by flights of fancy or oddly unrelated but still hilarious observations. Something that’s introduced as a second inciting incident – an invite to a destination wedding in Seville, is more or less forgotten by the end of the story but fortunately the journey is entertaining enough that this doesn’t matter.

In keeping with the theme of appearances, the show is also about Neenan’s struggles with eating disorders, particularly binge eating in times of depression. There’s no gory details but it’s clear that it’s this that in many ways was the core that the show was built around, even more so than the painting.

Tom Neenan is probably best known at the Fringe for his creative one-man storytelling shows full of mime, funny voices and sublime and silly writing. Despite many years away, none of his skills in these areas have diminished though the show does feel like a very conscious effort has been made to mould it into something a little more overtly stand-up-adjacent with the general structure, patter with the audience, reliance on observational humour and anecdotes, etc. And Neenan has clearly worked on all of these but he does seem a tad uncomfortable with how it meshes with his previous style, especially in some of the moments where perhaps he could have dived into more challenging areas, such as the missing aforementioned gory details of his struggles with mental health which many comics would have gone for with both barrels. And, of course, it is very much Neenan’s right in what he chooses to share, but as this vulnerability is at the thematic core of the work, perhaps it feels a little absent.

Cards on the table, Tom Neenan was actually my first ever Fringe show, way back in 2015 and he is very much the reason I fell in love with the festival because I’d never before seen something that spoke so much to my sense of humour. His use of silly puns or hilarious and witty little quips just tickles me in all the right places (he has a particular joke about Frankenstein in this show that had me laughing so long I had to cover my mouth so he could move on).

I’m not entirely sure I can be objective about how funny other people would find him, but to me he is the perfect comic storyteller and I couldn’t be happier he’s back to share his humour with us.

*****
Reviewed by Tom
Underbelly George Square
Until 31 August