| 09 August 2011
With a table set for tea and bunting tastefully draped along the wall, this is intended to be the most civilised hour of chat, stand-up and party pieces you could hope to see this Fringe. The host for the proceedings is the prim Tom Allen, dressed in a fetching Neapolitan ice-cream inspired ensemble. How charming.
Though every day brings fresh faces into the mix, on this occasion, it was the turn of the comedians Kerry Godliman (Wonderwoman), Kai Humphries (Bare-faced Cheek), Preston Lymen (Comedy 4 Kids) and Axis of Awesome (Axis of Awesome) to respectively plug and amuse.
Chat shows are always dependant upon the skills of the presenter to guide the conversations forward, entertain the audience, and bring out the best in their guests. We therefore reached a stumbling block quite early on, with Tom Allen failing to capture the essence of his role. He asked the questions we could have answered ourselves, had we our Fringe guides before us, with his first seven-minute interview with Kerry Godliman staying firmly within the banal lines of “What is your show called Kerry? How’s it going? What is it about? I agree, it must be terribly difficult juggling motherhood and a career. Hmm…would you like some cake?” His jokes were equally as flat.
Thankfully, the absolutely lovely Kai Humphries invoked the rants of a fanatical audience member named David within thirty seconds of setting foot on stage. Things quickly became more interesting, though perhaps a bit potty mouthed for this class of show. Preston’s stand-up taster was alright, and Axis of Awesome gave the show some welly at the end, performing their excellent ‘Boy-band Song’ to rapturous applause.
This show is a mixed bag, but not a complete disaster. With bolder presenting it could be splendid.
Tom Allen’s Afternoon Tea, Gilded Balloon, 3-28 Aug (not 15), 3.15 pm
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