THEATER REVIEW- Armchair Renaissance Man

Stephen Carlin is a bumbling, dishevelled stand up comedian. There are few American comedians that would get away with his amount of stuttering unease, but as a genuine Scotsman he seems to be not only forgiven, but exactly the kind of guy you’d find extremely funny at 4 am at the bar. He graciously performs at the Fringe out of a toilet-less tent, which he credits to last year’s fussiness as to the quality of the venue’s facilities.

Carlin uses his time to educate his audience through a PowerPoint on how to become a more cultural human being. Littered with obscure references to aging pop-stars and top five lists on how they should die, the presentation was slightly shabby, but nevertheless likable. The jokes are predominantly one-liners and too much time is spent referencing the joke after the punch-line, which nearly takes away the “punch”. Overall, there is very little exposition, self-debasement, or the type of lengthy thematic story-telling that I have come to expect from stand-up routines.

Still, as an armchair philosopher, Carlin does have a few gem observations; my favorite was a chart on the relationship between a musician’s age of death and his percent of allotted credibility.