Adam Hess was one of the breakout stars of this summer's Edinburgh Fringe. That's not just my opinion, it was also the opinion of the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award judges who shortlisted him for the Best Newcomer Award. I might have actually put him on the shortlist for the main prize. Hess is a leading light of the current post-Tim Vine wave of Twitter-friendly pun-liner merchants, but in his latest show he did more than just rattle out the funnies, he weaved his gags into an autobiographical story about his youth that shed some light on Hess's nervy eccentricity. Or did it? It is never quite clear if he is telling the truth about himself, but maybe that doesn't matter when the audience is too busy laughing. Just before Edinburgh Hess wrote a piece for the Guardian paying homage to late cult comic Mitch Hedberg and you can certainly see the Hedberg influence in offbeat quips such as "Surely every car is a people carrier?". Hess brings this gag and many more to the Soho Theatre from Sept 23 - 26. tickets here.
Some of the most exciting shows in Edinburgh this summer were in venues where you can enter for nothing and pay what you want when you leave, such as Heroes @ The Hive. But you had to arrive very early to get into Adam Hess, who is justifiably playing to packed houses.
The London-based comic has built up a Twitter following thanks to his clever, concise wordplay. Some of his online quips, such as “In German ‘kinder surprise’ means ‘unwanted pregnancy’”, crop up on-stage, but in the flesh Hess is more than a Tim Vine-style human jokebox.
This show is part punfest, part autobiography. The pace starts at turbo-charged speed and barely lets up as he recalls his geeky, nosebleed-afflicted youth. He is still pretty childish, bouncing around the stage. Imagine a giant stubbly toddler after too many sugary drinks.
One has barely stopped laughing at a punchline when the next one comes. It is only when Hess pauses to discuss his favourite films or get someone to read out his old jokes that there is breathing space.By rights there should be a limit to how many wisecracks a fan can enjoy, even when they are as beautifully poetic as “surely every car is a people carrier?”. Yet Hess keeps everyone hooked with a blend of charm and inventiveness.
There’s an old gag that some gigs are free to enter but you have to pay to be allowed out. I’d happily stay all month if Adam Hess is on stage.
A version of this review first appeared in the Evening Standard. Read the original review here.
