After a standout debut at last year’s Fringe, Rory Marshall tackles his sophomore show with an instinct towards mass appeal which is only rarely undercut by something sharper, and more keenly observed.
This hour of sketches and character comedy takes inspiration from the world of work, specifically, the various jobs Marshall has filled over the years. (Like most people in the creative industries, his odd jobs have been varied and, well, odd – at one point he mentions a stint putting pipes inside other pipes).
Ushering us into the hour is an office worker devoted to the ritual of work drinks, a pastiche of the kind of corporate worker who has little going on outside their day job and of workplaces whose sole employee benefit is free pizza. This character structures the hour, and we repeatedly see him self-fund increasingly extravagant team bonding sessions (the Palace of Versailles is his favourite choice of location) and take on a number of crushing pay-day loans before a hammy, shoot-out ending.
Other sketches include a waiter trying to find his next job while proffering trays of vols-au-vent at a wake, a condescending Australian surfing instructor who sends his pupils into the waves of a life-threatening storm, and an Irish chef who opens a family-run Italian restaurant, only to realise his nonna can’t cook. In these side bits, the accents are spotty – attempted inelegantly or abandoned quickly – and the jokes can veer towards generalisations, even if the setups are rich in promise.
One might have expected Marshall’s second show to deliver an al dente bite. Instead, the writing sometimes lands limply – like nonna’s overcooked the tagliatelle again.
Rory Marshall: Thank You for the Opportunity, Pleasance Courtyard, until 30 Aug (not 17), 6.05pm