A seemingly chaotic but well crafted hour of brilliant comedy
As the pan pipes play the Titanic theme for the umpteenth time, the audience prays for Phil Ellis to arrive. Unfortunately, when he does, he holds that tune over the audience for the rest of the hour and subjects us to it a good few more times.
Each time it repeats and we try to give Ellis his desired reactions, it gets funnier. The moments of prolonged tech glitches and mistakes along the way just add to this. While it seems like this set is pure chaos, there is no doubt that it is a tightly crafted hour of stand up from someone who is only going to go from strength to strength.
Ellis is a wonderful performer who is larger than life. You hang on to his every word from the first moment until the last. His jokes are excellent and come at a pace that makes it impossible to catch your breath in between. He plays on the expectations of people who have seen him before. The plant in the audience was well done as was any bit of chaos that ensued.
The set doesn’t seem to have a clear throughline. It feels like a chat with a friend, as he airs his grievances and has a laugh. It’s a little like catching up with someone for a pint as they tell you about a particularly ugly sheep. It is this energy that makes Ellis so wonderful to watch. Even the titular Bath Mat feels like a pub debate, which works to its advantage and creates a wonderful divide within the audience.
You will laugh, and you will have fun. You’ll probably also get spoken to at some point. Ellis thrives on chatting to his audience, he may even take a picture of your knees, like he did with mine. All in all, this is stand up at its best: funny, playful and a little bit chaotic.
Show Listing: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/phil-ellis-bath-mat
LISTING INFORMATION
Venue: Monkey Barrel 1 at Monkey Barrel
Dates: 3rd – 30th August
Time: 13.55
Ticket prices: £17.00
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com
Suitable for 14+ (Guideline)