Review: EDINBURGH 2024: STUART LAWS HAS TO BE JOKING?, Monkey Barrel Comedy (The Hive)

“I hope that I’m who you want from this”

Stuart Laws Has to Be Joking? has quite a simple concept - Laws is putting all of his cards on the table, both figuratively and literally. There is a pile of cards on the table next to Laws and he is ready to share them with the audience, telling us about his life using comedy and storytelling.

We learn about his autism diagnosis, his travels around the world and his girlfriend, a fellow comedian whose previous show at the Fringe was about her cheating in past relationships.

The show begins with Laws telling us about his hatred for small talk but then giving us a range of questions to ask that will lead to some great conversations, including one asking about one’s favourite “mildest peril” (for Laws, it was the time he saw a wet floor sign slip on, you guessed it, a wet floor). We learn that we are entering into a relationship with Laws and he is going to bring us through the different stages with the cards he has on the table, guiding us through not only his life but our new lives together.

My favourite joke of the show had to be about how when Laws was a goalkeeper for a Christian football team, saying “You gotta save goals and souls.” There are quite a few great quips throughout the show that lead to loud laughs, including the fact that Laws wants to “tapas life” and that he enjoys third-wheeling as he is able to cosplay a relationship. One hilarious bit has Laws fully acknowledging that what he says is going to be cringe, but he’s going to say it anyway, leading to a bit about the reasons why he is appealing to women. 

Putting all of your cards on the table means that there are going to be some more uncomfortable parts, and this show is no exception. There are a bit too many cum jokes for my liking, including an incredibly long joke about the change in sperm after a vasectomy, but luckily, they are only a small part of the show, even if they are quite graphic and lead to several groans from the audience. There was also a strange surprise appearance by fellow comedian Kieran Hodgson as Laws went offstage for a few moments, a bit that was never explained and never brought up again. 

Ultimately, Stuart Laws Has to Be Joking? is a fun mix of storytelling and observational comedy that allows audiences to take a peek inside the mind of Laws, who, for the first time in his life, is ready to put all of his cards on the table for the world to see. It is difficult to be judged by others, but Laws is taking the risk and it is paying off. And, the show even ends with some advice, as Laws says, “Take what you learnt from this show and make your next comedy show even better.”

Stuart Laws Has to Be Joking? ran until 25 August at Monkey Barrel Comedy (The Hive) - Hive 2.

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