Material: Delivery:
Laughs: Room: 

What is it that makes a spirit funny? What is it that makes a human laugh? I can only sense it myself, but Christian Brighty knows; he understands how the comedy avatars work, how in a time of miracles they can descend like Krishna into a mortal room. That room, late last night, & for one night only, was the surprisingly spacious Spiegelyurt, beside Bob’s Blundabus – a mini-Fringe kingdom all to itself for the more bohemian-minded. Its all a bit 60’s ‘Cisco up there really, & the jacket potatoes are delish.

As we were led into the miniature circus marquee that the Spiegelyurt reveals, the audience were bubbling up with ‘did you see him in Brighton?‘ ‘Yes,’ was a common reply, & there is no better a positive presentiment for experiencing a show than popular public prescription. I must add, these punters were the bohemian English in town, the one’s whose comedic tastes I trust the most.

So who were they here to see? A certain Christian Brighty was the answer, a busy bee at the Fringe, who is performing in Privates at the moment, while dealing in various other shows & schemes through his increasingly sophisticated portfolio. Brighty possesses a shock of curly hair that seems genetically descended directly from François-Joseph Talma, but whereas Talma strove for a certain realism in costume at the Comédie-Française, Brighty prefers the other end of the spectrum completely, tho’ fully grounded in a character everybody can love – our very own grandad!

So to the show itself, which is the most perfect specimen of comedy as art I have ever seen – 24 carot. In essence, Christian dons the mask of our grandad, & we are all invited to the family reunion. Very much a millennial Mike Yarwood, he blends character & catchphrase with operations in a bottomless, marshmallow sumo suit, out of which appear props & fresh costumes with alarming regularity, & on occasion extreme subtleness. It is this aspect of the show that revved up my appreciation into the 5-star aether – half-way through I was settling on 4, but with each innovative eruption from the sumo suit Brighty’s score was dragged up higher. I have never seen him perform before, but I am now a fan of both the man & the persona! As we progress’d through each electric evolution of the act, we discover’d lots of snippets about Brighty’s brainbaby; out of whose butcher’s training, for example, came the ability to pluck a dog & to also differentiate a chorizo from quorn, by sound alone!

There are not many comedic visitors to Edinburgh I make an effort to see again each Fringe, for very few understand comedy as an artform – but Brighty has the measure; & Grandad reflects his, dare I say it, genius, commensurately well. He is still young, but as stylish as a Corinthian column, & can only get better. See you next year Christian, & please, please, please, please, please… keep up & keep improving your brilliantly ebbulient Benjamin Button!

Damian Beeson Bullen