10 Dome – Pleasance Dome

3rd Aug 2016 – 29th Aug 2016 (17.:40)

Material :  Delivery :    Laughs :

For those who are frustrated by pointless emails or the awkwardness of the online encounter in general, James Veitch offers relief in the form of retaliation. No faceless scammer is safe from his witty and charismatic trolling.  Whether it’s the Sainsbury’s customer service team or a scam-bot on Tinder, Mr Veitch will find a funny way to get them messaging back with increased confusion and exasperation. It would seem that Mr Veitch has dedicated many years to the craft of politely winding up those who make the mistake of getting in touch with him.

Not to say that spam emails are the limit of Veitch’s humour – he branches out into his love life, the delights of shared accommodation and the social dynamics of online gaming. Indeed, the analogy of life and game is one he is keen on, and he even makes a brief trip to the land of existential absurdity. He is humble and self-deprecating in his humour, making as many jokes at his own expense as he does at the Sainsburys customer service team.

The trolling is, however, by far his strongest suit. In truth, some of the jokes do seem somewhat recycled. But perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Veitch’s performance is that he can tell pretty much the same joke in seventeen different ways, and still have you laughing at it each time.

Reviewer : Hugh J. Downie