Ed Byrne: Spoiler Alert

What can reasonably be expected from a performer of the status of Ed Byrne? Gigging for years, his schtick is a well-honed version of the angry everyman, bemoaning the vicissitudes of ordinary life. In this set the conceit is his concern that we live in a world where everyone is spoiled, resulting in self-centred narcissists who expect everything on a plate. Byrne's case-in-point is his children, whose failure to recognise the pampered life they lead is acutely demonstrated in a routine about trampolines. It's clear the audience is laughing in recognition, and so the comedy serves as a salve, helping us accept social norms we can do little about.

But is it grumpy to expect more than this? Given Byrne's considerable skill—and willing audience—couldn't the humour here function as something in addition to resigned collective guilt? Byrne acknowledges that he's now resolutely middle class, and effectively mines the dislocating sense of self that gives him. In a couple of places he makes passing references to Brexit and Trump, though he mocks such material, noting its almost-compulsory nature. It all seems too comfortable, as if he's unwilling to test the areas his audience might follow him into. He notes that getting married, and subsequently having children, generated considerable material for previous Fringe shows, and that maybe now getting divorced would open up new comedic avenues for him to explore. I'm not sure that kind of drastic action can be justified solely to produce comedy, but he needs to get his spark back somehow.