“I’m sorry for wasting your time with that,” laughs Jack Ansett. It’s a self-knowing smirk, and part of Ansett’s comedy persona, an irreverent beta troll who pranks the internet with all of the viciousness of a kitten. But it’s a blessing and a curse, this defensive irony. Sure, this is light, fun and fluffy, a hard-to-dislike bag of pranks and screen gags. But some of this might also be the comedy equivalent of doom-scrolling.
It’s the alienating disconnectedness of this all that feels most jarring – like flicking through a feed and being pumped unrelated pieces of popular content. Ansett’s awkward, goofy persona provides a container of sorts for it all, but it feels like a character that hasn’t fully found its voice.
That’s not to say this isn’t enjoyable. There’s some really funny moments here, and a bit of bite that works nicely alongside his apparent naivety. You really wouldn’t want him running amok in your Facebook group. A repeated Sims 4-based gag provides a further hook, and it’s hard not to like the Sisyphean effort of it all. Hours and hours of work for a laugh.
There’s a standout routine that’s literally been ten years in the making – extraordinary given Ansett isn’t yet 30. And yet here’s the rub: Ansett lands it mid-set, builds it quite nicely then dumps the payoff like emptying a bin. He moves on to his next PowerPoint slide. Some basic organisation could take this set up a level. The social media algorithm won’t pick out the climactic wheat from the disordered chaff. That’s surely the role of the artist.
Jack Ansett: Looks Like a Bit of Me!, Assembly George Square Studios, until 30 Aug (not 18, 19), 4pm