Tom Allen ... And other short stories

115270 original

You have to feel sorry for Tom Allen. His show has been staged under the banner of Fringe Comedy but this is is by no means stand-up. It occupies a strange position somewhere between the rambling monologues of Talking Heads and the chatty banter of your average small venue comedian.

The Wee Room at the Gilded Balloon is just right for Allen's honest and apparently truthful guide through his uneventful life. He chats casually to the crowd in a manner so endearing that two audience members apologise profusely when they have to leave to catch a train. He then uses this pause to offer us all water, gives us the opportunity to change seats and turn on a fan – a demonstration of just how genuine his act really is.

None of the stories themselves are that exceptional; Allen freely admits to disliking stand-ups who exaggerate their lives and say things which are evidently untrue; for him it is the tragedy of the everyday which is worth laughing at. He does not tell jokes, nevertheless his often naïve and childlike perspective on his life is both entertaining and interesting. Don't go expecting a laugh a minute but this is without a doubt the friendliest show you will find at the Fringe.