EDINBURGH 2023: Review: ALPHABET SOUP, Le Monde, Shanghai

Alphabet Soup’s queer comedy brunch was…wild, to say the least. Hosts Alyssa Poteet and 7G really carry this show through from start to finish, their boundless energy keeping things moving even when things have started to stall. The show as a whole is a little all over the place, chaotic and not always in a way the audience is receptive to, though providing a lot of entertainment in other parts.

The experience is described as a brunch with craft cocktails and acts such as drag performances, which conjures visions of something well-polished and maybe even a little glamorous. Here it doesn’t quite deliver, though perhaps this is a case of re-calibrating expectations, rather than anything the show needs to change.

The stand-up performers on rotation were hit-or-miss with the crowd in a way that was noticeably awkward at times. The humour is a little juvenile throughout, as though there’s an expectation that being crude for crudeness’ sake is inherently funny sans an actual punchline, like the older style comedy of the 2000s-2010s era. The heavily US-centric culture references also fall a little flat on an audience that is overwhelmingly British, and there’s even a joke about self-checkout machines which feels like a meme that expired years ago.

That said, there are many genuinely funny and entertaining segments of the variety act that keeps it afloat. Antjuan Tobias is a clear standout, with spades of energy and a brilliantly funny set about being later in life to the LGBTQIA+ community. He takes to the stage with a well-deserved confidence and with expert comedic timing that keeps the audience laughing.

Hosts Alyssa Poteet and 7G have their own sets, as well as some in-between act gags, their boundless enthusiasm keeping the audience engaged in what is generally a very reserved crowd. They are both very unique characters and it’s impossible to tell where they’re going to go from one moment to the next, which keeps momentum across the hour and a half. Their crowd work is excellent, particularly on a day where the audience is quiet and need to be encouraged to participate.

Overall Alphabet Soup is entertaining, if a little inconsistent, and it’s certainly a lively way to spend an afternoon. The hosts have done well to put together a show of exclusively LGBTQIA+ performers which is something the comedy scene globally needs more of.

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