Banshee Labyrinth – Cinema Room
Aug 7-28 (20:55)
Sam ! Sam ! Sam Nicoresti ! Fuc£ing Sam Nicoresti ! Proper geezer like – well, perhaps not so much these days, as his Edinburgh Fringe show concerns his own very spiritual & tangible entry into the world of gender politics. It’s called ‘Cancel Anti Wokeflake Snow Culture,’ & is a far more cerebral affair than other comedy offerings on the Fringe – & also funnier than the vast majority, for Sam is a bona fide comedy genius – a rainbow hole rather than a black hole, but with the same effect of sucking you into the transdimensional cosmos of his talents. In full flow he’s like a thrilling-to-watch Olympian Figure Skater busting out soliloquy moves. I really dig his work – where odd-ball-ality & fecund articulation combine under an explosion of curls. Each Fringe he wipes clean his etch-a-sketch & creates something new, something shiny, something profoundly important for all those who witness it. For 2022 we have a veritable modern Ragnarok, where liberal woke-lefties are battling radical right-wingers for Sam’s very soul. If he even believes he has a soul.
I’m straight & white like a piece of chalk
Cancel Anti Wokeflake Snow Culture is a daring shedding of the skin that slops a dollop of awkward reality on our Fringe buffet. Instinctively manifesting the various & funniest shades of his personality, Sam can strip himself down to being a simple stand-up comedian – only briefly of course, his talents project way beyond such proletarian mundanity as simply telling jokes -, but I relish most his mastery of rapid-fire verbosity, sharing such sophisticated & funny lines as, ‘the inner sanctum sanctorium of the Waggamamma loos’- he actually said that – & ‘get out of the bus lane you fucking bus.’
The tech was stunning – a nice mix of professionally excellent pre-made videos & a weird live-streaming projection where his image careered into the distance like the start of a Bohemian Rhapsody face-beam. All his shows have aesthetical qualities, a gimmick or two, its Sam’s style; but it’s his performances that have untold merit. The only drawback with this show, in the second half especially, is the intensity of thought which is needed during certain segments to figure out what the hell Sam’s going on about exactly. The general gist is of course him coming to terms with & celebrating his sexuality, but we also kinda get the reaction of the universe to his decision. As he thunders forth at such a pace, occasionally throwing in unexpected broadsides of electric visuals & soundscapes, its pretty full on at times, & a tad difficult to sit back & be, well, entertained.
But who are we slatterns really to question the beauty of Sam Nicoresti? Early in the set, Sam described comedians as the ‘self-anointed philosopher kings of the new era,’ & by the time he’s white & Gandalf-bearded, I expect Sam to be our only Socrates.
Damo
Mumble Comedy 