A highly likeable comedy debut
Aaron Wood is at this year’s Fringe with his debut show “More to Life”, which is an entertaining and well-crafted hour, about his life and experiences to date.
With some charming (albeit cheeky) storytelling, he leads us through life with his girlfriend, and living in a rough area, and the perils that might face an intruder. We skip across such diverse topics as fears being faced on “I’m A Celebrity…”, the cost of pet care, outgrowing your friends, and existential crisis faced after a memorable encounter in Las Vegas.
We have some friendly crowd-work sprinkled throughout, and his friendly nature warms up the crowd as the show progresses, leaving you rooting for him. We have repeated encounters and looping call-backs and it’s all very well-constructed and builds at a good pace. Not all of the punchlines land as expected (something Aaron notes himself) but this could be largely related to the crowd in attendance today and he builds a convivial atmosphere in the room. The mic volumes are a bit high to begin with, but can be forgiven as Aaron is doing his own tech here, but this settles down as the show progresses.
After the first 20 minutes or so, the real heart of the show develops, and where Aaron softens a bit, when he digs a bit deeper into his experience with autism, therapy, health issues and his relationship with his dad. These topics are carried off with a lightness and humour, as to not dampen the mood, but are presented with thought and care. There’s a particularly rewarding section about some gig tickets that’s worth looking out for, as well as a very satisfying callback.
This is a solidly funny debut, and with his affable personality, it’s clear that Aaron will be one to watch out for in the future too. He presents as just a really likeable guy, who’s very funny, and you leave wanting things to go well for him. On this evidence, there’s no doubt they will.
Aaron Wood: More to Life runs until 25th August at 16:50 at Hoots @ Apex Grassmarket. Tickets can be bought from: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/aaron-wood-more-to-life