The Comedy Club 4 Kids is a great idea.
Give children access to some of the best stand ups at the
Fringe by ensuring that the acts present their material in a child
friendly way. Having
already seen a couple of comedians become a bit jittery about having
kids in their audience, this is a performance which makes sure that
all the material is suitable for childlike ears, as well as
promising acts that adults will enjoy.
The idea is the brainchild of James
Campbell and it is he who holds today’s performance together.
His material makes the kids laugh without ever running the
danger of being patronising or condescending.
He’s also brilliant at involving the kids, mildly poking
fun at them without them ever feeling victimised.
Two other acts were included in today’s
show and probably show the difference between what works and what
doesn’t when presenting comedy to kids.
The first act up was 9 year old Georgia.
Whilst I don’t really want to criticise her act because of
her age, she didn’t get the laughs she was aiming for.
Probably because her skit was simply too childlike.
But at the same time I doubt many 9 year olds would be brave
enough to attempt this type of thing so good on her.
The second act was Patrick Monaghan who was
so enthusiastic he ended up running way over time.
His performance got the audience back in the mood to laugh
and showed that if adult comedians present their material in the
right way then it can raise a universal laugh.
The Comedy Club 4 Kids promises some big
names over the next few weeks, although you’ll never know about it
beforehand for the fear of the children losing out to people
snapping up tickets to see the big acts.
It’s definitely a show worth taking the young ones along
to, for your enjoyment as much as theirs.
****
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