BRIGHTON FRINGE: Robocop vs The Terminator vs Gabriel Featherstone – The Actors, Brighton

Written and performed by: Garbriel Featherstone

A nuclear war kills all the comedians in the world apart from one – Gabriel Featherstone – and we’re the captive audience witnessing his hour-long stand-up set. This is the set-up for a uniquely creative show that encompasses songs, sock puppets, audience participation and a pizza box Jesus. It’s an endearing performance with humour that rests on the comfortable side of edgy, with a well-thought-out narrative that makes for pleasing Fringe fodder.

Rather than wittily describe the world as it is, like many an observational comedian, Gabe is looking at things from a different perspective. There’s almost a hint of melancholy as he looks back at how things were before the nuclear apocalypse. He strikes a slightly desperate figure, trying to cling on to memories of the old world, frantically putting on a brave face as the world burns around him. Material about Paddington and the death of the Queen seems slightly dated but he gets away with it because of the fictional context he has created.

Other material veers more towards the absurd with a song involving the audience making noises of progressively more specific animals and a laboured quiz about Jeff Goldblum’s name. He has a knack for punchlines that are just about funny enough to excuse their cheesiness.

As a character, Gabe is eminently likeable, rather like a Butlins cabaret performer without the red coat. He’s eager to break into song at every opportunity with relentlessly rhyming silly ditties sung in an earnest club singer style. The highlight amongst these is a sincere ode to the defunct original recipe Cadbury’s Creme Egg, truly a relatable symbol of a world gone wrong.

The Robocop and Terminator of the title are mainly absent characters that serve very little purpose, apart from representing the imminent threat of his demise. They’re hinted at near the beginning then reappear in sock puppet form for the operatic finale. Along the way we’re also treated to a few projected music videos of Gabe’s more fleshed out songs, which showcase some very silly animation and video-editing as well as considerable musical talent.

It’s certainly a show that is crammed with jokes and creativity, and it’s hard not to be charmed by a performer who has come up with such an imaginative framework for a stand-up set.

Reviewed on  22nd May