ED2013 4/5 Reviews ED2013 Comedy Reviews

Phil Ellis – Unplanned Orphan (Lee Martin For Gag Reflex)

By | Published on Sunday 4 August 2013

Careering haphazardly from faux fire alarm to technically perfect technical hitches, Phil Ellis’ delightfully chaotic set keeps the audience giggling, laughing and squirming with just the right amount of embarrassment. Nominally telling the story of learning he was an orphan, Ellis entertains with rambling tangents loaded with gags – the bit with the tent stands out from the stand up sections – while the banter with his tech, James, is consistently funny. The odd ad lib wanders a little too far from a punchline, but overall Ellis keeps us happy throughout, while his shambolic shtick provides a surprisingly effective backbone to the performance. Endearingly daft, cleverly constructed and solidly funny, this is a cracker of a show.

Underbelly Bristo Square, until 25 Aug (not 12), 5.25pm.
tw rating 4/5 | [Andrew Bell]

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