ED2012 3/5 Reviews ED2012 Comedy Reviews

Computer Programmer Extraordinaire (Raph Shirley / PBH’s Free Fringe)

By | Published on Friday 31 August 2012

It’s an interesting device, but Raph Shirley’s opening voiceover – claiming that he has a 50% walk out rate and will insult the audience if necessary – made me quite nervous. What kind of confrontational shock-fest was I in for? Thankfully, apart from blowing a minute-long raspberry and making a few too many jokes about diarrhoea, the brunt of Shirley’s deadpan ire was saved for his ex-girlfriend and computer programming colleagues. There’s a good running joke about spoons and well-deployed material about space, all punctuated by increasingly exasperated sighs. The rant:joke ratio might be slightly too high, but Shirley’s delivery means that most of what he says sounds funny, even if it isn’t on closer inspection.

Globe, 4-25 Aug (not 14), 4.45pm.
tw rating 3/5 | [Holly Close]



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