Brighton Fringe Review: COMICS VS KIDS, Laughing Horse @ The Quadrant

“Do you think this show is gonna prove that kids are funnier than comedians?”

Comics vs Kids has a title that exactly describes the show itself - it’s a battle of wits between comedians and children to prove who is the funniest and cleverest of the bunch. Host Nik Coppin begins by explaining the concept of a Fringe Festival to the children in the audience, which is a lovely touch as it allows them to learn more and potentially see more shows throughout this festival. Coppin also has some fun stories about what it is like to perform for an audience of adults versus an audience with children, getting the audience warmed up with stories and a few jokes before the “competition” starts. 

The first comedian is Lightning Man, a comedian dressed in a superhero costume who runs onto the stage, cape flying in the wind. Lightning Man, whose powers are making a “mean lasagna” and shooting forks of lightning out of his hands (AKA throwing forks at the wall), shows off some of his jokes, including a particularly impressive impression of a duck in outer space. Once he’s done with his jokes, four children are brought onto the stage to tell their own jokes, trying to prove that they’re funnier than Lightning Man himself. One of the children’s fathers is brought on stage as well as he is a comedian Coppin knows - this part was a bit odd as it felt like inside jokes being made between the comedians and the father, with less of a focus on the kids themselves.

The second comedian’s name is Dan and it quickly becomes clear that he is much more suited for adults-only shows. He claims that he actually is a superhero - “Middle-Aged Man” - whose powers include dealing with divorce, which gets a laugh from audience members, but definitely not any of the children. His jokes are quick and funny, but the only section of his that really works for the children is the fart noise competition he holds, a bit unrelated to the “Comics vs Kids” competition but still entertaining for the younger audience members. His section ends with Coppin bringing some more children on stage to take part in a quiz that tests their cleverness, which is quite amusing to watch as Copppin tries to give them the right answers and they fail to pick up on the clues. 

Ultimately, Comics vs Kids is a fun show but struggles to find the line between entertaining children and adults, especially with the two comedians chosen for this particular performance. Coppin is a great host who manages to keep things under control with the children in the audience but I would have liked to see comedians who are able to keep a better balance between performing for adults versus children.