Ayo Adenekan review: Unexpected punchlines from a comedian with a bright future
Edinburgh Fringe
〰️
Edinburgh Fringe 〰️
Image: Beth Moar
by Zoe Paskett
Ayo Adenekan’s Red Bull sponsorship hasn't changed him. He's still got a hold on his moral compass, he's definitely not a corporate shill. He has a giant can of Red Bull and a prepared statement beside him but don't read anything into that.
I’ve been hearing rumblings of Ayo’s talent for a while and it’s immediately obvious why, both to me and this sold out crowd. His ease on stage, his delightful, sunny disposition and winning earnestness all combine to endear you to him straight away.
Black Mediocrity tracks his life growing up in Edinburgh until now, his ambitions and desire from birth to make a name for himself next to his accomplished family members, after his parents moved from Nigeria in the nineties. He explores his identity as a Black bisexual Scottish man, exaggerating a heightened innocence about his encounters with people, such as the wee friend he’s given to follow him around whenever he goes to the shop, and the racism in X-box Live group chat.
His drive to make a mark began early, from the first school nativity, to a misguided modelling job, to scuppered dreams of being the first queer, Black, Scottish Doctor Who (a betrayal that got Ncuti Gatwa kicked out of the group chat).
He has a quiet confidence that allows him to play around, stretching out stories in his lilting tone, revelling in the softly spoken moments and commanding laughter with a level of accomplishment beyond his years. It’s fun to watch him take his time, knowing as well as he does that a good punchline is on the way, though likely not the one you’re expecting it to be. (The culmination of a riff about the young person’s railcard industrial complex, of which I am no longer eligible to be a part, sob, ends in a totally unexpected but extremely satisfying way.)
It’s his light-touch approach to talking about the racism he experiences that makes a stand-out of one particular moment. He gets the audience so used to his nonchalance, that it hits especially hard when he is no longer smiling. It’s a brief moment, but a necessary one.
I’m excited to find out what’s next for Ayo – this is a debut very much worth seeing, and a comedian with an exceptionally bright future (and plenty more sponsorship deals) ahead of him.
Ayo Adenekan: Black Mediocrity is at CabVol 2 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Cabaret Voltaire) at 13:30. Tickets here
“Sexy baby, harangued ex-wife to a deadbeat genius, male growth plot device… How far have we come really?”
“Her characters provide a showcase for her wide-ranging comedic abilities and allow plenty of space to play”
“The immediate standing ovation that met Mothman’s curtain call came as no surprise. This is the type of show you’ll leave feeling like you need to see it again.”
“She’s dynamic and natural on stage, a simultaneously high-powered and relaxed stand-up.”
Getting to see Cooking With Kathryn is the perfect example of a welcome Fringe surprise – someone new to me and the Fringe, who has created something that fully reflects its anarchic, messy spirit. An absolute riot.
Gross in some places, soft in others, raucously fun all the way through. It’s a clown show that fully celebrates the joy of playing around. At every opportunity, Su takes the wilder option and runs with it.
Like the skirt suit she’s in search of, Baby Doomer is woven from honeyed threads. She wears both wonderfully. Can you plausibly call someone one of the greats this early in their career?
Marjolein’s perspective is a gift and Lein is another hypnotic, lyrical piece of work, and as funny as ever. Even if we haven’t all watched nuns trampolining in Amsterdam, being lost is a universal feeling.
I love all of it. Ayoade Bamgboye has the freshness of a new comedian performing without rules or restrictions. You truly have no idea what she might do next, and she makes it appear like she doesn’t either. It’s thrilling.
There are few people more naturally suited to the job at hand. Molly McGuinness’s debut Slob flows out of her with seemingly effortless dexterity.
I’ve been hearing rumblings of Ayo’s talent for a while and it’s immediately obvious why, both to me and this sold out crowd. His ease on stage, his delightful, sunny disposition and winning earnestness all combine to endear you to him straight away.
I could have watched endless iterations of couples (and throuples) galavant in different costumes around the attic – I lost all sense of time and never wanted to leave.
Her debut show is ticking all my boxes. Musical theatre. Check. Anxiety. Check. Feeling so much gratitude for your lovely therapist that you want to send them a gift but don’t know if it’s appropriate (it’s probably not). Check!
Sharon’s wellness tips are much more usable e.g. drink so much water to stave off your anxiety that you nearly piss yourself, scientology, bring back fortune tellers…
Rosa is quickly covered in slime – there’s one delightful moment after it has been poured where it looks like a lovely latex beret balancing over their fringe, then oozes down and hangs in a big globule off of one eyebrow.
This debut is going to bring in a good helping of the validation he craves. Pedro’s comedy is smooth, structured and sophisticated. He was made for the West End, but only the West’s most high-brow End
His rasping baritone and sudocremmed face thrust into the front row, he demands a nervous audience member call him “Daddy”. And yet, for all his broad-shouldered, domineering monstrosity, this character is strangely likeable.
Main Character Energy is an elaborately camp and flamboyant parody of the one woman play and all its tropes, but it also serves as a genuine slate for her many talents
It’s a perfect example of the artfulness of “silly” comedy, showing how much “silly” comedy relies on clever writing and rigour to make something that comes across so effortlessly bizarre. I haven’t laughed as consistently and uncontrollably at any show this Fringe.
Every moment is clearly so carefully considered from start to finish, expertly structured and solidifying him as one of the funniest comedy writers and actors around.
The combination of Zoe’s confident storytelling ability and precise, razor-edged jokes make this the kind of rom-com you’d be running to rent from Blockbuster on a Friday night
