Friday 5 August 2016

Katherine Ryan, Stand 6, Edinburgh Fringe

TV raises expectations.  When you see a comedian on the screen it's easy to forget that you're seeing them at their best.  A short set, edited if necessary, an audience that's been asked to be responsive.

So maybe the problem is with me, and my own expectations of "TV's Katherine Ryan" (as she referred to herself, several times).  I was anticipating an hour of sharp, acerbic, political comedy.  Which, I admit, was to ignore the clue in the title of her show - "Work in Progress".  So maybe it was just me?

Not that Ms Ryan isn't funny.  She has some very clever observations sprinkled throughout the show, and I will never be able to look at a tearful Oscar Pistorious in the same way again.  There's some excellent role-reversal with a feminist slant, and a lot of honesty about her own conflicting views of life.  But there's also too much about various celebrities which is hard to appreciate if you know nothing more about them than their names.  I've honestly never wanted to know who the Kardashians are....

So maybe it's an age thing.  She lost a bit of this sixty year old when she suggested that turning 33 was 'growing old'.  Ryan is entertaining, but I left feeling she could have delivered more.

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