Tim Key: The Slutcracker

Tim Key describes himself on his website as a poet and performer. And although he questions the description of his poetry as “deliberately bad”, his appeal relies on his dry delivery and the bland, yet amusing nature of his poems.

Key’s satire tackles some fantastically bizarre topics. Through his set, the Charlie Brooker’s Newswipe star presents verses on assorted issues from animals that he could (and couldn’t) fit into, to a Lithuanian waitress who refuses to accept a tip from a customer. These are accompanied by some peculiar short films - one of which focuses on the killing of an eel by office workers - and cleverly presented interaction with his technician, ‘Fletch.’

It would be difficult to find a conventional comparison for Key’s poems - who can think of an equivalent to a poem on the different uses for dew? – but they do have a strange appeal. In a society where so much significance is found in seemingly meaningless language, Key’s act can be seen as an ironic statement on the absurdity of some art forms and his polished delivery make this a strong piece of satire.

The question of whether Key will win over a plethora of new fans at this year’s Fringe is unclear. In places, a high level of effort is obviously required on the part of the audience to get the most out of Key’s show, and this might constrict his success. However, given that this is only Key’s second solo poetry-based show, we can expect more from the 33 year-old soon.