A once-in-a-generation comedian
It’s not often I come away from a show unsure as to what exactly I’m going to write about it. Stumbling out of the Grand at Pleasance Courtyard, 45 minutes later than I was meant to, I can unequivocally say that Zach Zucker (the brains behind the brainless persona of Jack Tucker) is a genius. Or an idiot. Or both.
Like many others, despite Zucker (and his team of Jonny Woolley and Dylan Woodley) having years of Fringes under their belt, my first encounter with Jack Tucker’s material was on TikTok. Do you need to have seen his TikToks to understand his comedy? To be honest, I’m not sure it would help. All you need to know is Zucker really has no material – it’s all bits, all riffing, all sound effects, all incessant crowd work; and yet, the audience roars with laughter. It feels akin to what watching a Charlie Chaplin slapstick picture on opening night would’ve felt like – and Zucker feels aware of the grip he has on his audience – this feels like the making of a once-in-a-generation comedian.
Indeed, as a graduate of a prestigious clowning degree, Zucker seems to be in disbelief himself as to what makes his audience laugh. He takes the internet fame he has recently accrued, and sends it up – to the moon. He has created a cult persona – but we see glimpses of the real him come through after the hundredth botched sound cue. But are the sound cues botched? Is the projector actually not working? Whatever it is, his sound and lighting technician deserves five stars too.
You’d be mistaken if you thought any aspect of the performance was underdeveloped – something appearing this sloppy has to have been painstakingly rehearsed. Yes, there’s beer all over the stage, and Zucker is sweating through his suit (to be fair, he started the show like that) – but a trombonist is coming down the aisle for the third time, so you don’t care. My only thought by the end? Zucker is flying. No, literally. He got in a harness and flew. And metaphorically, he’s flying – up to superstardom.
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/jack-tucker-comedy-standup-hour