Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose – Nip
21:40 (Aug 17-28)
The winner of last year’s Musical Comedy Awards is troubadouring thro Edinburgh as I type, planting his arthouse hedonism directly in the heart of the town at the Gilded Balloon Patterhoose. I was joining him for his debut solo hour at the Fringe (he was once here as part of sketch double-act Tracy’s Leaving Party with Kat Sadler), an event which felt something like going to a wedding buffet, so eclectic were the mind-morsels of musicality Christy serv’d up for us. Also joining us was Christy’s agent, Max Atrocity, played by Christy of course, which revealed a talent for character comedy which could well rise to more prominence in the future. But for 2022 its mainly songs & the comedic introductory interludes between them.
Christy can sing. Effortlessly, & beautifully. He can also play the keyboards with prominent proficiency, & is a loop-pedalling savant. He can also Dance, Hip-Hop, R&B & sing poignant tribute songs to a beloved beautiful bridge in his home of Wakefield in which I heard the ever-lingering lyric, ‘ I even fucked a hole in the ground – I love you Wakefield.’
Sometimes silly, sometimes quasi-serious, the absolute highlight was Christy’s improvisational skills. I’d gone to see Samantha Presdee’s show earlier on that day, I enjoy her vibes & watching her develop as a performer over the years, in which she rattles on about her ex husband in Greece. Anyway, she’s on the verge of 40 & when Christy asked for themes & stuff to bounce off, she gave him plied him with the essence of her show & he converted it all into something joyous – real top notch improv. “That’s the spirit of the Fringe right there,” I told Sam, & she agreed with a wholehearted smile.
Another example of his swift & witty mind is when during one of his frequent audience member Q&As, on hearing a lassie student worked on the Harry Potter tours in Edinburgh, on hearing she was from the Slytherin house, he went ‘I knew there was a Slytherin’ in the house – I’m Hufflepuff, & I can always smell Slytherin.” Pretty sharp sh!t that, mate.
The show finishes on definitely the craziest finale I have ever seen at the Fringe which leads to a natural standing ovation. Like any debut hour, however, performers are lucky to maintain the magic for so long, & a couple of tunes towards the end lacked the same impact as the earlier ones, but this wonderful young man from Wakefield has heaps of deeper potential, & it will be interesting to see whatever next pours out of his ever-pregnant psyche.
Damo
Mumble Comedy 