By Ollie Wilson
For more than 25 years I have been following the comedy of Andrew O'Neill, from the little comedy clubs of Stoke Newington and Soho, London, to his numerous and oftentimes esoteric Edinburgh Fringe projects. So, I was a tad surprised to enter, on an inclement Monday night in mid-Fringe, a packed venue including the legendary Frank Skinner, quietly sheltering in the crowd, for a 'work-in-progress' O'Neill show.
I have always thought of Andrew O'Neill, from his debut as a fresh-faced 22-year-old to now, as a great and original comedy talent. And the bare bones of this show - from rap about cupboards to hilarious and also mundane 'celebrity tips' to an inspired audience-participation in the Alphabet Song, accompanied in G on the unamplified xylophone - were gloriously funny.
Drawing from his carefully structured notes, some of them stream of consciousness, some meticulously layered, he performed it all with enormous stage presence, so, for once, no one minded that he didn't know every syllable by heart. Work in progress, he explained, meant in practice that not much progress has been made, not a lot of work done!
O'Neill is most affable. And I loved the apparent randomness of his set. For instance, his crowd work: 'Are you are Nazi?' Or the star tip from Keith Richards to call the postman by his first name, so he hung around far longer with a parcel. Sage advice from the drug-addled from the Rolling Stones' veteran guitarist.
It was the joyous way O'Neill told them that made it comedy gold. I couldn't see but I strongly suspect that Frank Skinner was laughing like a drain. How could he not, when everyone else was? This is a top-end five-star show.
Star Rating: *****
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