Review: Unbecoming Ramon Rivas

Ramon Rivas offers his perspective on the benefits and pitfalls of 'hooking up'

★★★
comedy review (edinburgh) | Read in About 2 minutes
33328 large
39658 original
Published 05 Aug 2018

Unbecoming Ramon Rivas is the beginnings of a journey "from fuck boy to fuck man". This show comes in the form of a life re-evaluation. Has the comic been properly respecting and caring for the women in his life, and is he ready to invest in really caring about someone? 

Rivas is a refreshingly honest voice in this field. His insightful conclusions feel genuine, as he discusses how his own family experiences of divorce and cheating have affected how he views potential relationships of his own. In clearly pinpointing this theme of considering other people’s perspectives, questioning how his behaviour might make other people feel, the message of the show is overt.

Tonight, none of his revelations are particularly shocking to the women in the room. As Rivas himself points out, most of this demographic could already easily vocalise what "care" meant for them. But Unbecoming Ramon Rivas offers a sensitive male perspective on dating and "hooking up", and its emotional implications.

Astute and self-aware, Rivas is a little unsure of himself at times, seeming too visibly conscious of how small and quiet his audience is. A bit of conversation with the room warms everything up a little, and later attempts are made to ensure his audience are comfortable, but it feels as though this isn’t always his priority.

A great deal of thought has clearly gone into this hour, and Rivas has moments of glimmering confidence. This is a small, somewhat intimidating venue for any performer and it will be interesting to see how Ramon’s confidence in his audience might develop to match that of his material.