Joe Sutherland: Model / Actress

★★★
comedy review (edinburgh) | Read in About 2 minutes
33329 large
100487 original
Published 18 Aug 2017

Ah, fame. That cruel, elusive mistress. Some live for it, some die for it; Joe Sutherland will do just about anything in between. Model / Actress is his personified LinkedIn page, an hour-long exhibition of septuple-threat talent. 

As showbiz ladders go, Sutherland's toiling on a low rung at the moment, playing here to a sparse crowd that almost adds to the La La Land 'art from adversity' vibe he's going for. He deserves a bigger audience, although it must be said it's not for want of trying. Equipped with a showreel of his media appearances and a glittery tearaway poster featuring each of his skillsets (at the very least we can begrudge him "arts and crafts"), he embarks on a personal sales pitch for a coveted commodity: himself.

This is not to portray him as arrogant, for his shy, self-effacing charm is one of the most endearing aspsects of the show. He fosters laughs from exploring the harsh realities of being a gay man in standup to trying to stand out from the crowd in an industry that's invariably trying to pigeonhole and homogenise him. 

The 'notice me' schtick wears a little thin after a while, but it does underline his desparation (were he to find more success then he'd be faced with a creative dilemma, given that it would undermine his core comic niche). The spotlight of showbiz destiny will surely find his way to Sutherland soon enough, but for now he remains an unpolished, mostly undiscovered diamond in the rough.