Nathaniel Metcalfe: Enthusiast

Review by Jennifer McKiernan | 28 Aug 2013

Unassuming, quietly spoken, Nathaniel Metcalfe revels in his geekiness. Closer to your favourite geography teacher than the stereotypical raconteur, his show Enthusiast draws chuckles of amusement more than belly laughs. 

Small and almost irrelevant facts become steadily more important as he wends his way through the past decade of his life, skillfully interweaving tales with improbable links. His obsessions include terrible £3 DVDs about football hooliganism – despite the fact he seems more likely to shuffle into the shadows than kick somebody's face in.

More understandable are his descriptions of watching hours of meaningless daytime television; student life gave him years to indulge this habit, resulting in a freakish enthusiasm for Through the Keyhole. The show eventually featured his childhood home, unchanged years since his family moved away, but it feels too contrived to be truly funny, yet still raises a giggle in a packed room.

The biggest laugh comes from a skit that starts with 90s kids show Art Attack and shuffles between record shops and Christmas movies.The finale is an elongated knob gag, although, despite his other obsession with C-list celebrities, he thankfully avoids mentioning Jimmy Savile.

Funny enough, but not hilarious. 

Cabaret Voltaire, 1-24 Aug, 2.35pm, PBH's Free Fringe