It has been 17 years since Julian Clary, one of the most influential gay comedians, stood on the stage of the Edinburgh Fringe, and this time, he decides to follow the footsteps of reality TV, where celebrities claim to be themselves: Fully Dilated.
Standing in a shiny suit that reflects differently under different lighting, with a sparkly microphone in his hand, Clary introduces himself to the stage as a homosexual, something that anyone who knows him would understand means a lot to him. From there, he begins to interact with the audience. After approaching two heterosexual couples in the middle section, he finally gets a homosexual man on his third attempt, after which he sings a song about how “life is a cunt”. He then talks about death and his will, as he reaches a stage in life where he has started to consider them, as well as his relationship with the Edinburgh Fringe and how he started here standing on an orange box. He also talks about sweeter moments in his life, such as how he met his husband, and of course, how he lost his virginity.
Clary also reflects on his career as a comedian and his sexual experiences, during which HIV among gay men was spreading. As he describes it, the rise of his career and the spread of HIV happened at the same time, eventually leading to a turning point in his career at the 1993 British Comedy Awards, where he compares the set to Hampstead Heath and talks about fisting Norman Lamont, which more or less brought his ascent in the comedy world to an end. Yet even within these heavier stories, Clary manages to hide jokes about the taxi drivers he meets and the hotel manager at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Clary’s show is not as overtly political as those of many of his colleagues at the Edinburgh Fringe, but perhaps its politics lie elsewhere: in the simple fact of watching a gay comedian who has spent decades making his sexuality part of his public identity, still standing on the Fringe stage and refusing to make himself any less gay for the sake of respectability. Truly the king of the pause, Clary can turn almost any ordinary sentence into an insult or something filthy, such as when he tells the heterosexual man in the audience that if there is anything heterosexuals cannot understand, he can “stick your hands up”, then pauses, “in the air”.
Clary ends his show with a sentimental song about life, yet his unapologetic queerness feels empowering, especially when he tries to pass a bottle of anal lube to the wife of the heterosexual man. There is something refreshing about seeing a show that is so openly gay without turning that identity into a political slogan, while Clary remains perfectly willing to make jokes about political parties when he wants to.
Runs until 23 August 2026 | Image: Contributed
The Reviews Hub Star Rating
-
9
