EDINBURGH 2023: Review: CHRIS TURNER: VEGAS, BABY!, Underbelly, Bristo Square, Buttercup

Every comedian dreams of their big break, the one gig that will change their life. What if that gig is in Cirque de Soleil’s new show in Las Vegas, Mad Apple? What if they want you to fly out to Vegas with your wife and newborn baby? Then, the dream gig might be a bit more complicated than you first thought. 

Chris Turner: Vegas, Baby! is Chris Turner’s standup hour about not only his time in Vegas, but the time he got a standing ovation on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a freestyle rap based on audience suggestions, and his baby daughter’s unusually-placed birthmark. Somehow, even with all of these wildly different concepts, he manages to tell not only a coherent but wonderful story, including callbacks to other moments that make it a truly great hour of storytelling. 

One of my favourite bits of the show was Turner showing off his freestyle rapping skills that had gone viral online, giving him millions of views. Turner split the audience up into five sections and took suggestions from one audience member in each section. At the performance I saw, the suggestions were Wales, catsitting, working as a chef, Kim Jong Un crossdressing, and the Eden Project. Turner talked to each audience member who made a suggestion to get some more details to be included in his song. Somehow, Turner was able to include all of these in a spectacular and hilarious rap that made me want to see more of his freestyle abilities. But, this show is more focused on Turner telling the story of his time in Vegas, so I respect him only taking a short time with the rapping.

Though I won’t get into spoilers, the ending of Vegas, Baby! is darker than you might expect and will leave you in shocked silence as Turner tells his final tale of the night. The audience had gone from laughing over a silly joke one minute to sitting in complete silence the next, attentively listening to Turner describe one of the scariest moments of his life. It’s heartbreaking and emotional, but Turner still manages to make it funny, leaving you with a smile on your face by the end. 

Ultimately, Chris Turner: Vegas, Baby! is a fun show that shows off Turner’s spectacular storytelling abilities, going from silly moments to incredibly dark sequences with ease.

Turner is one of the few comedians I have seen who is able to take those dark moments and bask in them while still keeping a comedic tone throughout the show, and that alone makes the show worth seeing. 

Chris Turner: Vegas, Baby! runs at Underbelly, Bristo Square, Buttercup at 21:45 from 15 to 27 August.

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