A Welshman, a Scotsman and an Englishman walked into a theatre. It sounds like the start of a joke but, if the theatre is the beautiful Forum in Melbourne and the men are Lloyd Langford, Stuart Mitchell and Greg Burns, it’s really the start of many jokes, as they bring us Best of the Edinburgh Fest.
Lloyd is an affable bloke with a self-described ‘big face’ who got plenty of laughs. We’d already seen his intellectual side as the victorious contestant in Late Night Letters and Numbers and totally enjoyed hearing more from him. The more relaxed environment that allowed his style of observational humour to shine.
As a young child, Stuart lost the tips of two of his fingers. What would just be a personal loss for most of us is a large supply of material for Stuart. His missing fingertips were not only the basis for jokes, but he recounted the story of the event which brought that about. From that to his wife’s battle with polycystic ovarian syndrome, he’s able to find humour in the darkest situations.
Greg is best known as a radio announcer in London and more recently in Melbourne, so it came as no surprise that he had the confidence of a seasoned professional with a bit to say about some people’s travel foibles.
I would have expected greater breadth in the types of acts in a ‘Best of’ show from a major festival such as Edinburgh. However, if you’re after a variety pack of traditional stand-up comedy in an elegant venue, Best of the Edinburgh Fest may be what you’re looking for.
– Craig
The Edinburgh Festival is one of many destinations on Craig Macbride’s travel wish list.
Best of the Edinburgh Fest With Greg Burns, Lloyd Langford & Stuart Mitchell runs from 30 March to 23 April (no Wednesday show) at the Forum Theatre, except Mondays, which are at the Melbourne Town Hall.
Both venues are accessible.
Read The Plus Ones’ guide to MICF 2017, and visit often to see all our reviews.
