EDINBURGH 2025: Review: CHRISTOPHER MACARTHUR-BOYD: HOWLING AT THE MOON, Monkey Barrel
One of Scotland's best comedians
When you rock up to a venue during the Edinburgh Fringe only to be greeted by two separate lines - one for ticketed punters and another for hopefuls - in the hundreds (but which feels like thousands), something tells you that it’s a big deal. When you are then crammed into a basement, albeit a massive one, sans air conditioning and everyone dripping with sweat, you can’t help but think, “this guy better be f***ing good.” Well, Christopher Macarthur-Boyd is very f***ing good.
Making his entrance onto the stage, Macarthur-Boyd immediately endears himself to the audience with his fast-paced act, quick wit, and rapid-fire rate of laughs per minute. Of course, performing in a three-piece suit, it helps to know that the comic is as roasting as we are in the audience.
Opening things up by taking us through the last few years of his life, Christopher makes himself vulnerable very early on by discussing his break-up with his previous girlfriend and the beginnings of his current relationship - both Australian. He doesn’t have a type, they do, he jokes.
The show itself is almost encapsulated by this vulnerability from the comedian, with the stand-up regaling the crowd with stories about realising he may be neurodiverse, coming to terms with his sexuality and a particular tale about a childhood friend which may well be the sweetest thing you are going to hear the entire Fringe.
Admittedly, the energy does dip throughout the middle section of the show, with laughs slowing down considerably. This does leave the structure feeling a little uneven and can make it hard to pick the energy back up for the end of the show, but Christopher Macarthur-Boyd is so charismatic that he is bound to succeed nine times out of ten.
Howling at the Moon may have its flaws, but it only proves the talents of Christopher Macarthur-Boyd, a performer who is certainly one of Scotland’s finest comedians. With a turn of phrase that could match Billy Connolly and an ability to make you laugh like no one else, you’ll undoubtedly leave this show begging to see him again.
Christopher Macarthur-Boyd: Howling at the Moon is at Monkey Barrel until August 24
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