Marc Jennings @ Monkey Barrel
Marc Jennings' new show Bread and Circuses sees the Glasgow comic showcase a mixture of political and personal material
A hugely entertaining mix of observational comedy and more serious political points showcase Marc Jennings as an increasingly confident and agile comedian. And if some of the lines don’t quite hit home, that’s no reason not to revel in a Scottish talent getting a loud reaction from his home crowd. It’s always a tightrope working out which material will and won’t work in front of a non-Scottish (see: Edinburgh Fringe) audience, but Jennings handles the balance well.
The show covers a lot of ground but keeps returning to the theme of “bread and circuses” – the old truth that if you keep the population occupied and well fed, they won’t rise up in revolt. He has a lot of material to back this up, but at times comes across more like a political analyst trying his hand at stand-up than the talented comedian he clearly is. There are occasional moments where you feel like he just needs to get to the gag slightly more quickly, but the punchlines are nearly all worth the wait. In particular, his joke about Elon Musk and Twitter is up there with the best one-liners you’ll hear at the Fringe.
Jennings nails his colours to the mast early on, with his views on Trump, Farage, and Gaza all plain to see. However, he also has a more emotional side, talking about the world of dating and relationships, and the loss of his mum. While this more personal material has funny and warm moments, it perhaps lacks the bite of some of the rest of the show. Still, Jennings clearly has a bright future, in stand-up or via his burgeoning Some Laugh podcast, and hopefully his poor old dad will forgive him for the final run of lines.
Marc Jennings: Bread and Circuses, Monkey Barrel (MB4), until 24 Aug, 7.50pm, sold out but some pay-what-you-can spaces available on the door