Eric Lampaert: Alien of Extraordinary Ability

Now bearded, married to a sometime model and living in LA, things are going pretty swimmingly for Eric Lampaert, a man who, as an FBI interrogator in one of this show’s enjoyable video skits suggests, looks like “Heroin Jesus”.

Lampaert currently feels attached to three countries as he’s French, was brought up in England, and has an American wife. So one weighty issue has dogged his year: immigration, which turns out to be a major headache even if you’re a citizen’s husband. And without a UK passport, Brexit confuses things even more.

It’s a topic that’s understandably high on the Fringe agenda this year, but Lampaert takes it in unique new directions. Into space, in fact, as he’s developed a serious interest in astrophysics recently, and embarks on some enlightening big-screen cosmos chat here.

An Eric Lampaert TED Talk? Well, only briefly, as he’s got a galaxy of brilliant silliness to cram in too. Even the dark matter is rich with comic potential: his therapist’s measured response to the voices in his head (“It’s the best place for them”) leads to some fine physical comedy capped by a fabulously crap pun. Now that’s how to write a bit.

He’s working with a relatively small audience on this boiling afternoon, punters dotted around the venue like stars in the night sky, but there’s none of the awkwardness that such a scenario sometimes provides. Lampaert is evidently enjoying every minute of this idea-packed hour, and the enthusiasm is infectious. It’s probably the best intergalactic immigration party you’ll be invited to this year.