Review: Viggo Venn: Club Comedian

What a wonderful mess Viggo Venn has created here. The Nordic prince of alternative clowning kicks off his solo hour with the tiniest of hands peeking from behind a curtain, finishes off with something gasp-inspiringly enormous and in between, well, there’s no rhyme or reason to it, really. Venn has come up with a bunch of ideas, stuck them all together and called it a show. Just like they did in the old days.

Actually that isn’t entirely true, as the Norwegian comic is fully embracing modern equipment here, and there’s one early crowdwork device that is truly inspired; a simple but perfect marriage of tech and talent that brings the house down, tears the roof off and other venue-troubling metaphors. That sequence alone is one of the must-see events of this Fringe.

Following that will always be tricky, though, and the rest of the set is more hit and miss, some lovely gags and ideas, and a good few clunkier bits that may well be running like clockwork by the end of the Fringe. Or not. That’s clowning for you. Venn’s vague theme is that he wants to become a British comedian, with all the misplaced confidence that can bring. But he doesn’t really: his is a unique niche in the comedy ecosystem. It’s good to go the Norway way, too.

Viggo Venn: Club Comedian performs at PBH's Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth, 6:25pm, until 28 Aug