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Ed Night: Your Old Mucker review – a laconic, sharply observed stroll around south London

Monkey Barrel, the Hive, Edinburgh
The Edinburgh comedy award nominee ambles through tales of debt, chicken shops and his eccentric grandad in a show that’s loose but brimming with intelligent wit

‘If there’s one thing this show doesn’t do, it’s come to you,” says Ed Night. That’s part of the charm – and possibly a slight failing – in the south London standup’s new set. As he treads around in a circle on his small stage, Your Old Mucker unfolds at its own laconic pace, and leaves us to make meaning out of its disparate parts. The 29-year-old’s authority, his sly standoffishness and playfulness with the art form are qualities of a standup near the top of his game – albeit one who with this ambling, endearing show doesn’t get quite as much out of them as he might.

The conceit here is that Night’s writing process is, in fact, a walking one. The show traces his perambulations around his local neighbourhood, from the dentist to the butcher, from Nisa Local to the betting shop, connecting with friends and local characters along the way. Dotted throughout are references to his late grandad, whose eccentricities (a penchant for filling biscuit tins with not-biscuits; a circumcision in his 80s) are to grandson Ed a wonder and inspiration.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/YbSeICA

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