Janeane Garofalo, Assembly Rooms - comedy review

The slight yet strident 48-year-old was in distinctly scattershot mode, constantly shooting off at tangents
27 August 2013

Janeane Garofalo may be known to British comedy fans for two things. The American comedian was a brilliantly funny presence in the Nineties sitcom The Larry Sanders Show and in 2009 she walked off stage after about 10 minutes at the Latitude Festival. Last night the Fringe crowd saw intermittent reminders of Garofalo’s brilliance but it was some ticket holders who opted for an early exit this time.

The slight yet strident 48-year-old was in distinctly scattershot mode, constantly shooting off at tangents. Topics ranged from cute puppy calendars, her fondness for bead shops and the pitiful lack of pubic hair on women today.

Cohesive themes are clearly not Garofalo’s strong suit. Whenever she latched onto something for a while one could see flashes of the gig that might have been. Her sardonic eye was well-focused on subjects as diverse as passive aggressive charities, moisturiser and the modern obsession with allergies, which means you can get close to an American playground with a gun but not a peanut butter sandwich.

But this fidgety figure could not settle. It did not help that she could not decipher her notes. At least she stayed for her allotted hour, which was more than some of her audience did. Hopefully by the time this mini-tour reaches Soho on Sunday Garofalo will have either learnt her lines or will at least be able to read her paperwork.

Until Fri Aug 23 (0131 226 0000, edfringe.com). Also Aug 25-27, Soho Theatre, W1 (020 7478 0100, sohotheatre.com)

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