BriTANicK @ Pleasance Courtyard

BriTANicK – Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher – are back at the Edinburgh Fringe with Dummy, wherein the SNL writers' room alums juggle a plethora of running gags over an airtight, hourlong set that simultaneously feels frenetic and tightly controlled.

McElhaney, helpfully signposted as the ‘straight man’ (comedically) of the duo, berates Kocher to ‘stop riffing’ as he gives a slightly unnerving, furtive anecdote that reveals the joyful reason for the titling of the show. Not content with the gridiron framework of ‘the comedy duo’, oodles of physical comedy from McElhaney – as well as joyous use of a video gag – highlight that this duo's straight man is just as deranged as their funny one. This is especially impressive when the double act seem to have so much to prove that their set feels time-dilated, moving at such a breathless pace. Passing gags about losing money on their 2022 Fringe stint fuel this velocity, and they flawlessly balance the complexities of utilising an audience plant, an ‘AI’ tech assistant and a genuinely difficult stop-start sequence against consistent laugh-a-minute jokes.

McElhaney and Kocher seem to use the show to test their capability as stage comics, at times making the show so difficult to fulfil that the audience is almost waiting for something to give. BriTANicK, though, are serpentine and more than up to the challenge, as a few missed cues on the sound system barely affect their flow, so comfortably in the pocket even when the show’s elapsing duration nips at their heels.

A slight loss of steam occurs during a bit that has the duo off-stage slightly longer than necessary, but their return to stage is a course correction for a final act which proves BriTANicK’s capability and confidence, and typifies Dummy as another remarkable string to their bow.

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BriTANick: Dummy, Pleasance Courtyard (Above), until 25 Aug (not 14), 8pm, £12-14