Review by Lucy Holz
Benedict Townsend has risen to TikTok fame through his charming and amusing takes on pop-culture controversies, and is one of the few TikTokers who can create engaging long-form content on a platform designed for low attention spans.
His decision to venture into standup comedy is now a well-trodden path, as social media personalities from all over the world flock to Edinburgh Fringe to try their hand at the art of live comedy. It’s a challenging and unforgiving medium, so anyone who takes the leap should be commended. Townsend may be in a small venue, but his show is completely sold out and in a festival of well over 1,000 acts, that is an impressive feat.
Townsend is comfortable onstage, with an easy, conversational comedy style, mimicking that of his videos. This show is a series of short anecdotes, littered with jokes and impressions along the way. These stories are unrelated, and the show does lack some kind of overarching structure or theme to bring it all together and create a cohesive performance.
The show I attended is about halfway through the run, but Townsend has not yet mastered his material. Checking his notes frequently, the comic does appear lost in his own set, which is surprising since he has performed this show a number of times already. The performance itself is also very brief, finishing in less than 40 minutes, which is considerably shorter than the majority of standup shows here at the fringe.
However, for a first attempt, this show is a success. The laughs are consistent, and the audience is undoubtedly enjoying themselves, giggling along to the amusing anecdotes of life with the in-laws during lockdown and classic pop-culture callbacks. Townsend has excellent stage presence and despite constantly checking his notes, doesn’t let it impact his demeanour or performance.
With more preparation and a cohesive show structure, Townsend is undoubtedly on the road to a successful comedy career if he wishes, and will be one to watch in future festivals as he continues to find his feet.
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