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ED2014 3/5 Reviews ED2014 Comedy Reviews
Martin Pilgrim – Diary Farmer (Martin Pilgrim / La Favorita Freestival)
By Jon Stapley | Published on Thursday 14 August 2014
In a show that (despite the title and venue) involves no cows, Martin Pilgrim chronicles how his life has gone wrong. Likeable, relaxed and self-effacing, Pilgrim essentially spends the entire time ridiculing himself, and it works. The material is dark; some stuff about suicide cuts a little close to the bone (especially given recent events). A highlight though is a campfire-style storytelling session, with musical accompaniment from an unexpected quarter. There are a few predictable punchlines, but these are balanced out with some irreverent surprises, notably an excellent gag involving wolves. The material works best when doing the unexpected I’d have loved more of this sort of stuff, rather than self-consciously clever callbacks that the audience is smart enough to anticipate.
Cowgatehead, until 25 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Jon Stapley]
