Ali Brice @ Banshee Labyrinth

A few years ago Ali Brice tried to end his life. It’s no secret, and this is his story of recovery. All sounds pretty serious, huh? Yet with Brice’s charming, goofy manner and his bizarre collection of props, the hour never feels too po-faced. Sure, it’s earnest at points and suicide is no laughing matter, but it’s delivered with plenty of light touches and the surrealness Brice has come to be praised for.

It’s a highly interactive hour with Brice frequently pointing his microphone at audience members to amplify their laughter and, in turn, cause more ripples of it. One lucky punter even gets to sit on his knee, pretending to go to market on his limb-made horse. His interactions defy intimidation, with Brice only ever gently teasing his audience and regardless of where you sit in the audience, he has no qualms about speaking to everyone in the room.

In addition to the playfulness with his audience, Brice has an uncanny eye for visual gags. The slatted blinds on stage serve several purposes, each with their own visual agenda, whilst drinking water is taken to new, very stupid heights. Even without props, Brice is adept at creating hilarious visuals (take the way he consumes Heinz sausages and baked beans, for example) and the images he creates are at once accessible and likeable.

I Tried to Be Funny... is full of gags of all kinds, and underneath its surface is a pure message that we should enjoy all the time we have with the people we love. It’s wholesome and whole-hearted, and though the ending could be perceived by some as a little too neat and saccharine, it could be in the running for the sweetest moment of the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe.

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Ali Brice: I Tried To Be Funny, But You Weren't Looking, Banshee Labyrinth (Chamber Room), until 28 Aug, 4.50pm, free unticketed, pay what you can after show