EDINBURGH 2015 - BWW Reviews: STEWART FRANCIS: PUN GENT, Assembly Rooms, August 14 2015

Have you noticed loud groans emanating from the area of the Assembly Rooms this month? No doubt that's down to the fabulously deadpan Stewart Francis, as seen on Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo, who is bringing his painfully hilarious oneliners and shameless puns to the Fringe in his latest show, Pun Gent.

A previous winner of the accolade of "Funniest Joke of the Fringe", Francis' live act is a little more edgy than his TV comedy sets, with segments on the likes of Bill Cosby and references to the Germanwings crash. The trademark strings of oneliners are enhanced as he plays with expectations and subverts the obvious puns, adding kickers to spin jokes out for extra laughs with near impeccable timing. Callbacks to previous jokes are built in to the show to give it a more effective structure, though the show's ending does seem to come out of nowhere somewhat.

One thing that particularly impressed me is how much effort Francis has gone to in neatly localising his show, rather than doing the same routine as he would elsewhere. Indeed, I can't imagine many Canadian comics in Edinburgh this summer include a set on Cockenzie power station!

This master of one-liners is definitely worth catching this month, with constant quickfire laughs guaranteed to brighten up even the most miserable and damp of Edinburgh summer days.

Stewart Francis: Pun Gent runs at the Assembly Rooms at 20:10 until August 30th (not 17th).

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