10am on the day before the Fringe officially begins. The Stand is packed out, standing room only, with the queue to get in having started forming almost an hour before kick off. There have been a lot of stories about relatively poor tickets sales for the 2022 festivals, compared to pre-pandemic levels, but not for Stewart Lee. Lee fans are loyal. Lee fans are very loyal. And this isn't even his 'proper' show, but a work-in-progress, much of it read from sheets of paper.
The subject mix is eclectic, still waiting to be connected into a coherent piece. A doorstep question from an evangelical christian. Speculating if JK Rowling becomes a man when she's being Robert Galbraith. A doctor asking mental health questions. The connections between improvised jazz and comedy.
All in Lee's trademark style. Repetition (but never, quite, for too long), call-backs, self referencing, and always questioning the nature of comedy and the relationship between performer and audience. It's disjointed, rambling, smart, sharp, thought provoking. And always, always funny with underlying craftsmanship. Lee knows what works, even when it doesn't, and he won't let you down.
Highly recommended.
Stewart Lee: Basic Lee (Work in Progress) is in the Stand Comedy Club at 10am each day until 28 August (not 15th/16th)
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