Paul F. Taylor (the F to distinguish him from a different comedian called Paul Taylor. A little F doing an important job) is a very funny man with ADHD. His neurodiversity is perhaps the main theme of the show. It supplies a lot of the material he explores, and it frames his whimsy and his propensity to jump about from subject to subject because what he’s trying to do is demonstrate the condition rather than discuss it.
So, a themed show. With lots and lots of jokes. And balloons. And a big box. And friendly chats with the audience. And mime, lots of mime, lots of talking about mime as well as miming. He’s funny.
Reviewing stand-up as theatre is weird. There are theatrical elements. There are lots of props, some more significant than others, although lack of significance is fodder for jokes, but discussing his use of props? Besides the point much? They are employed swiftly and appropriately and help the flow of the show rather than interrupting it. He works exceptionally well with whoever does the sound design, and whoever cues it up is so sympathetic they can use cues to prompt the next tranche of material when Taylor gets slightly lost, which is impressive and useful.
There is character-defining use of costume. There are handy things stashed in pockets that get brought out deftly and used to amplify the funnies. Theatrically, he nails the stuff he needs to nail and never lets it get in the way of the jokes, which are, after all, the point.
A gentle, word-rich, well-paced show with a degree of serious intent, that never gets preachy or heavy but does do a good job of demonstrating the way a neurodiverse mind works. Paul F. Taylor doesn’t have much truck with political comment, but he does an outstanding job in developing awareness and tolerance, which is a political statement of enormous value all by itself.
Reviewed on 4 May 2024 and on tour
