Stand up with a message: allow yourself to be defined by what makes you unique
Aidan Greene’s big heart and warm laughter make him a firm favourite on YouTube’s The Try Channel, eating, drinking and playing games on-camera. But his bread-and-butter is stand-up, and Greene has been headlining Irish comedy clubs for years. Stuttermilk Pancakes is the latest in a long line of Edinburgh shows to place his stammer front and centre, in a quietly inspirational argument for not just accepting what makes you different, but leveraging it to make you better. His stammer isn’t just the subject of the show; he incorporates it into the mechanics of his comedy
Good comedy revolves around timing, which a stutter stands in the way of. Greene makes a compelling argument for self-love: rather than hiding his speech impediment – say by selecting words he’s less likely to stumble over – he embraces it. This means he only has to write half as many jokes, but also that his audience will be the last to know if there’s a fire in the building. Greene talks about adapting his material as he learns the places where he’s most likely to stutter – unlocking new punchlines and flights of fancy, making him a better comedian.
The use of PowerPoint facilitates visual gags and gives the show a TED Talk style that lends itself well to Greene’s central thesis. Basic photoshopping of Harry Potter films reveals how inaccessible Hogwarts would be to those with a stammer. And Greene can present old schoolwork (5 things I like about me, 5 things I don’t) and home videos of previous school drama performances.
This educational focus is where the show is most compelling. Greene describes how having a physically disabled teacher made him think about difference, well, differently. As he grew older and realised a stammer wasn’t cool, he became more ashamed and reclusive. This culminated in walking offstage in the school production of Cinderella with four more lines to deliver – an incident for which we do have a clip. This moment provides the inspiration for the close of the show, and contains a lot of heart and vulnerability.
Greene is an amiable host, and what he has to say about self-acceptance and resilience is worth hearing. Unfortunately, there are lots of shows like this at the Fringe, and Stuttermilk Pancakes lacks the belly laughs to distinguish it from the crowd. The resulting hour is perfectly fine, but not a standout.
Show Listing: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/aidan-greene-stuttermilk-pancakes
LISTINGS INFORMATION:
Venue: Dexter, Underbelly, Bristo Square
Dates: Aug 5th–17th, 19th–31st
Time: 17:45 (60 mins)
Ticket prices: £13 / concessions £12
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com
Suitable for 14+