It is probably a good sign that even on a rain-soaked Monday night in the third week of the Fringe, a show makes you start beaming the moment you walk in. Damp, jaded, exhausted…none of that matters in the face of a man in a purple muscle vest dancing on rollerskates with the agility of an Olympic figure skater, and the deadpan sincerity of a small child. It perfectly sets the tone for Stamptown’s brand of perfectly calibrated weirdness; now in its tenth year, the cult variety show has excelled thanks to its signature juxtaposition of the very impressive and the very stupid.
Led by Zach Zucker in the guise of his alter ego, the extremely shit male comedian Jack Tucker, Stamptown unfolds with delightfully engineered anarchy. Zucker drops obscene asides at the audience whenever a joke fails to land, his compering is constantly interrupted by sound effects from director Jonny Wooley, and a self-professed billionaire keeps appearing to try and buy the show. And this is before the acts themselves: Kemah Bob killing a stand-up set, burlesque performer David Pereira going all out with an acrobatics-cum-live shaving routine, French clown Mr Cardboard doing…things with cardboard. It’s near impossible to sum up just how much is happening in mere language: manic, horny and completely bizarre, Stamptown needs to be seen to be maybe understood.
Stamptown, Assembly George Square Gardens, until 29 Aug, 9.50pm