There's a microphone stand, a stool and one pint of water on stage. Chris Neill enters, almost bashfully, and quickly reveals that he hasn't thought the show structure through very thoroughly. So he makes no apologies for the visible presence of a crinkled sheet of white paper containing all the comic ingredients for the next hour.

This honesty is just one of Chris Neill’s appealing qualities. By for example freely admitting to having anxiety dreams before shows, cleaning toilets at BBC Radio, and his utterly perplexed stance on home-made jam, Chris Neill establishes an amiable presence. Who knows if he ever really did clean urine stains in the bathrooms of the BBC Radio headquarters, but he makes it believable. Which shows his other appealing quality – his great storytelling ability. His high-pitched voice and attention to detail combine to enthal, and invite relishing every little piece of information with him.

The paper theme is evident throughout. The comedian frequently reaches into the depths of his very smart dinner-jacket pocket to retrieve various facts and statistics printed on scraps. These include a newspaper article about a retired pensioner falling into an electrified pond while in pursuit of a nuisance frog. The hour is over no sooner than it has begun. Chris Neill invites everyone to join him in the bar downstairs for a drink because he hasn't thought of an end for the show. He figures that this is as good an end as any – and it is.

Cast Credits: Performer - Chris Neill

Company Credits: Writer - uncredited. Director - uncredited. Technical Operator - uncredited. Producer - uncredited. Company - Not Wanting To Lose A Wad In Edinburgh Productions. Camden Fringe Credits: Directors (alpha order): Zena Barrie, Michelle Flower. Box Office: Etcetera Theatre - Malcolm Keen; Liberties - Martin Donnelly.

END

(c) Fiona Doyle 2007

reviewed Wednesday 8 August 07 / Etcetera Theatre

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008