19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Review: Rob Mulholland, The Stand, Edinburgh
⭐⭐⭐
On paper at least, Rob Mulholland and Edinburgh seem ill-suited. Describing himself as, 'the funny one from Dead Men Talking, the UK's most disgusting podcast,' the blunt Yorkshireman's language and content would have the majority of Morningside matrons frantically clutching their pearls. 'You'll have had your PC?'
After some funny and surreal musings – mainly about vacuum cleaners – from warm-up act Rosco McClelland, Rob's very, very tall frame appears on stage. A seasoned stand-up with Fringe appearances going back to 2017, this Allegations tour is surprisingly his first. He's marked the occasion by going proper comedy old-school in a dinner jacket and bow tie. There's even a cummerbund.
'Are there any women in?' Rob asks. He seems surprised to discover there are and wants to check if they're in the right room. 'These are more my usual crowd,' he says pointing at a group of baseball-hat wearing, beer-swilling lads in the front row. Back and forth banter with the audience reveals an international demographic. Bog standard for Edinburgh, but it pleases Rob no end. The interactions show off his excellent ad-libbing skills but go on a tad too long. Do we really need to applaud two blokes for being father and son?
When Rob eventually adds substance, he supersizes it. Observations on genocide, refugees and the toxic trope of benefit scroungers are all delivered dripping in heavy sarcasm. Just in case we miss the mockery, punchlines are punctuated with expansive jazz hand gestures. There's little subtlety but lots of smart in this comedy. His description of someone being, 'a train station pigeon of a man,' is the nearest you'll come to a poetry reading at a stand-up gig.
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But just when things are going so swimmingly, they take a turn. Rob decides to get his quips out for the boys and lean into the misogyny. A few of the jokes are pretty distasteful. Many of them are very old. The lads in the front row are lapping them up. The reaction from the rest of the audience is mixed.
It's a lost opportunity and a real shame. At one point, Rob announces that this is not a beginner's comedy show. He's right. It's a very good one that had the potential to be a great one. Less shock and awe and more shock and aww for what might've been.
