Sammy J

A quick visual survey of the audience at Sammy J's first festival appearance seems to suggest that skinny, self depricating one-man-and-a-piano comedy-Aussies are the new big thing for posh Edinburgh totty.

Where does he get them all? Who knows. What does he do for them? Well, naturally he showers them with compliments, plays them some off topical showtunes with clever lyrics, drops some gags, makes a few forward passes, sticks his hand up a koala's arse - all while sucking away on a pineapple juice box. Its a pretty slick routine all together - the girls were certainly impressed.

But like all womanizers, Sammy J suffers from a triumph of style over substance, his character is entertaining, but lacks the pathos that he attempts to deliver. Its a clever show, but until he cultivates some depth or drops the piano he'll always be one star behind Tim Minchin.