EDINBURGH 2023: Review: DREW MICHAEL: DREW'S ADVENTURES, Pleasance Dome, Jack Dome

Drew Michael is losing his hearing, and he’s ready to tell the world about it. Drew Michael: Drew’s Adventures is a comedy show in which Michael describes his journey with hearing loss and how it has affected him as a person.

Michael starts the show by explaining how, for the first two decades of his life, he did not want to wear hearing aids. Even after being diagnosed with hearing loss at the age of four, he refused to wear them, and his parents let him make his own choice (there is quite a funny bit about that, but you’ll have to see it for yourself). He explains how this choice changed the course of his life, making him seem aloof and cold to those who interacted with him. 

The use of technology in the show to help the audience better understand Michael’s level of hearing loss is quite clever. Audience members are given headphones to put on as Michael performs some standup, complete with the classic brick wall projected on the screen behind him. A part of me wishes that the headphones had been used the whole time as they could have had more of an effect that way, with the sound becoming more and more distorted to reflect Michael’s own experience. As I was in the front, I was still able to hear Michael’s voice without the microphone, but it was impossible to hear exactly what was being said, a frustrating situation that made me want to just rip the headphones off and listen to his standup with full hearing. 

Throughout the show, Michael references the viral videos of old men being able to hear properly for the first time, videos that are usually used for a punchline and are strongly disliked by Michael. There is, however, a beautiful moment towards the end of the show that has both Michael and the audience looking at those kinds of videos in a new light. 

Ultimately, Drew Michael: Drew’s Adventures is a chance for audience members to hear life from the perspective of someone losing their hearing, but it would be more effective as a theatrical piece than a comedy. Regardless of what genre it is labeled, the show is a beautiful reflection on one man’s struggle to accept his hearing loss and how your perspective on life can be changed in an instant.

Drew Michael: Drew’s Adventures runs at Pleasance Dome, JackDome at 17:40 from 15 to 27 August (no performance on 16 August).

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