Sam Simmons @ Underbelly, Potterow

2015's Edinburgh Award Winner returns to Topside with another superb show

Review by James McColl | 10 Aug 2016

Sam Simmons is dividing his audience  again. The phrase 'just go with it' is used  a lot – for the people who do just that, it's a fantastic show, while for others it's a comparatively frustrating experience. Those in the latter camp are frankly wrong. This is a great show.&nbsp

Birds are the (loose) theme this year; a topic that sporadically pops up throughout. There's some deconstruction of the Fringe on display but Simmons seems to veer away from making any coherent argument for or against the state of the festival, jettisoning the material for something altogether different. A self-proclaimed "tediously long bit" about a tomato is quickly dropped and Simmons moves on to something new, like a game show host spinning the contestants' prize board around and around. 

For fans of Simmons, it's just as funny to see him give up on an idea as it is to see him fulfil it. Character bits, sketch bits, surreal bits, abstract bits and kangaroo hands are just a few of the treats instore in this year’s show – what’s not to love?


Sam Simmons: Not a People Person, Underbelly Potterrow (Topside), 3-28 Aug (not 15), 8:15 pm, £7.50-15

http://www.edfringe.com