It's appropriate that Connor Burns has called his new show Vertigo. This gifted, young Scottish comedian has the potential to be reaching some dizzying heights soon. He has already had to add nine extra shows to his Fringe run to meet demand and when I went to see him, the queue snaking down the road was clearly excited to be seeing a local hero making good.
The fast-rising Edinburgh local gets better all the time. His debut full-length show last year touched on how he had to make ends meet when comedy fell off a cliff during Covid. He has already moved onto brand new areas in Vertigo, but that isn't to say that the material is not polished. He's as smooth as they come and has a relaxed style that quickly draws the audience in.
Burns has already made a name for himself on an international level. He hasn't appeared on any UK television yet but is clearly on other radars - he has already recorded a set for the prestigious Just for Laughs Festival as well as the Sydney Comedy Festival Cracker Night gala. He talks about touring Australia and gigging in Perth – "the world's most isolated city and it feels like it" - and has an extremely funny anecdote about appearing on a chat show where the previous item had been about women in sport and he suddenly found himself being wrong-footed by the presenter on a contentious current issue, rather than being asked about his upcoming gigs.
But I can't imagine Burns ever really being caught on the hop by off-the-cuff probing. He is clearly very smart and able to do both crowdpleasing mainstream observational punchline-heavy humour, the sort of which has developed him a substantial online following as well as more serious, thoughtfully considered material. He certainly has opinions on a wide range of topics, from imposter syndrome to lesbian sex. He notes drly that in Scotland the population is so predominantly caucasian there isn't white male privilege, there is "white mild convenience". As for the so-called sexy Caledonian tones, he is quick to underline that not every Scottish accent makes the speaker sound like Sean Connery.
He surprises with a real talent for accents - out of the blue he turns on an impressive South African, which leads into some more daring material. But Burns has such a winning stage presence the audience is prepared to go with him into whatever darker corners he chooses to lead them. Connor clearly has a brilliant comedy mind and he is already a hugely gifted stand-up. His understated stage presence and superb comic timing see him land punchline after punchline perfectly, and some sneaky set-ups for future callbacks are a delight when they reveal themselves.
And he is not averse to allowing fans into his personal world too, shedding comedic light on his dad who has some pretty strong opinions of his own. Connor's girlfriend is a criminal defence lawyer, which must make their domestic conversations interesting to say the least. Like a younger but equally dark-haired Micky Flanagan, he is very good on discussing how in recent years he has moved up into a brand new exciting posh world where people eat olives and tapas-style snacks.
This impressive performer had better get used to the fancy world of olives and charcuterie boards though. Looks like the quote from Daniel Sloss on the poster is right - Burns may well be the future of Scottish standup. If Vertigo is any guide, for Burns the only way is up.
Until August 27. Info here.
four stars
