Previews: Good, clean fun

Jason Manford – Off On Tour We Go

For five nights only, Manchester’s favourite son will be taking time out of his national tour to win a few more hearts at the Fringe. Reeling in larger crowds than ever thanks to his three years as a team captain on 8 out of 10 Cats, Manford is one of a breed of instantly accessible, utterly dependable performers whose material rarely fails to hit the mark. With his feet firmly on the ground, he’ll be taking on that most universal of topics: growing older. If you age, you can relate to this.

 

Pete Firman – Jokes & Tricks

Edinburgh, the former witch-burning capital of Europe, is an odd choice of venue for Firman. So convincing is his magic that, by rights, he should’ve been denounced as the spawn of Satan and set alight years ago. Luckily, he’s perfectly capable of charming his way out of any trial, thanks to a hatful of clownish pranks and knowingly cheap gags. It’s the perfect release of tension after some mind-boggling, occasionally stomach-churning tricks that come with some thrilling twists in the tail. His title, Jokes & Tricks, does little justice to an hour of which—although it does what it says on the tin—the contents are something special.

 

Jason Byrne – 2010

If you turn up to a Jason Byrne show, you will smile, you will laugh, you will be happy – and you will have very little choice in the matter. The Dubliner will make it his mission to ensure each and every member of his audience goes away grinning after his good-natured and stunningly energetic set. Don’t expect Byrne, a consummate entertainer, to break any great boundaries or challenge your beliefs. What he will do is take the trifles of everyday life, adorn them with some unexpected set pieces and turn them into something riotous. A true professional.