Lost Voice Guy : I'm Only in It for the Parking, Gilded Balloon at the Museum, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Stand up, but not as we know it.  Buoyed by his success on a TV talent show, Lee Ridley, aka Lost Voice Guy, is attracting big audiences to his new Fringe show, but is the hype justified?  He's certainly different from most other stand ups at the Fringe.  Cerebral palsy has meant he's unable to speak, and being up on his feet for long periods is difficult.  So his 'voice' is electronic, which he drives from a controller, and he sits for most of the set.

Ridley's topics cover the most stupid questions he gets asked about his disability, the ways in which he can take advantage of it, and exposing the prejudices he and others still face.  Through the 'voice' he can conjure up, a series of well thought out projections behind him, and some surprisingly effective physical comedy, he keeps up a constant stream of laughs, poking fun at himself, those he comes into contact with, and the wider world.  His timing is excellent, although the big disadvantage of having preprogrammed sentences is being unable to stop when the laughs build, meaning too many punchlines get missed by the audience.

That's a minor quibble.  Lost Voice Guy is unique in his style, but that's backed up by plenty of well crafted jokes and a set that provokes thought as well as laughter.  Recommended.

Lost Voice Guy : I'm Only in It for the Parking is on in Gilded Balloon at the Museum until 25 August.