Review: ED GAMBLE: MAMMOTH at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)

Ed Gamble returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with his new show Mammoth. As you enter Upstairs at The Pleasance, you are greeted with the sound of heavy rock music - it turns out Gamble's a huge fan of the genre. He immediately makes a great joke about how he has trouble convincing people of this considering his 'Coldplay face'.

This is just the beginning of a wonderful evening of laughter as Gamble looks at his life and his background, making witty observations performed with his trademark infectious energy.

It is this energy that really makes this a thoroughly enjoyable evening. There isn't a moment when you are not completely engaged in the story telling, knowing that he is skilfully directing you towards a satisfying, and probably unexpected, punchline.

The show relies heavily on Gamble's middle-class background and he truly shines in these comic moments. Halloumi cheese is a surprising comedy sidekick. Gamble also makes good use of his involvement in the London Marathon earlier this year with a visual gag sealing the comedy deal.

There are so many moments that really hit the mark that it would be impossible to name them all and would probably ruin a lot of the evening. However, you can expect lots of gags about bums, health spa's and ripped bodies. There is one gag in here that is worth the ticket price alone.

There are some brilliant moments of audience interaction as well and these are dealt with such skill that you would almost think they were rehearsed parts of the act making an appearance every night. In fact, his interaction with a fellow 'rocker' and an 'ITV2 Love Island clone', were some of the highlights of the evening for me.

Overall, Ed Gamble presents a strong set that has the audience laughing from the very first moment (his technician even got it in the neck before the gig had even started). If this is where Gamble's comedy is going then he is on the rise to stardom.

Ed Gamble: Mammoth runs at The Pleasance Courtyard until August 27th at 7:15pm with additional performances at 11pm on the 18th and 19th August

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