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Fringe REVIEW: Fix my Brain @The Warren

May 22, 2018

 

Fix My Brain

Two Surnames

The Warren

May 21

FIX my brain is fun and the boys have certainly done their work, they stay in character throughout, apart from when they poke some fun though their semi permeable fourth wall. The use of lighting to indicate flashback, or fantasy is fun and works well for visual jokes.

This pair has pedigree being ex-Presidents of the Footlights and at Brighton Fringe Dillon and Oli present their debut show all about friendship, depression and crushing existential dread.

There’s a lot of writing in this hour, the boys pack their jokes in and although the majority of them work the seriously rapid nature of the narrative doesn’t really give a lot of time for some of the jokes to settle. They are all delivered with the same deadpan dry delivery which again lets some of the quality jokes slip past some folk in the audience. A pity as a few of them are slow burners. It was difficult to tell if it was the amount of material they had to get though, first night nerves or intent to come across as busy and nerdy which stopped them taking a few well-judged moments of quiet to let the jokes spread out and do their stuff.

The lads drown in and draw on their own experiences of depression; sinking, gasping for air, then both doing perfectly choreographed mental synchronised swimming, it’s gloomy and daft. Their working in the Mental Health world also gives this show some serious traction in reality. They take time to appreciate the little things in life, and how they have failed to save them from despair

This pair are engaging as co-dependant saddo’s trapped in their existential despair while trying to be the fun lads they think they should be. It’s an interesting deconstruction on the comedy lad duet and I enjoyed their mucking about with masculine pressure and expectations, but it’s the tenderness at the heart of their on stage friendship which brings the best out of them. When they are trying hard to be seen not to be trying too hard or assuming away about the other lads feelings and feeding their self-absorbed neurosis then they are at their darkest and funniest.

Not scared to look at some darker subjects around mental health but also so deadpan that the depth is somehow given the same weight as a throwaway line, this apparently, deceptively simple comedy bromance had a lot going for it.

There’s a lot to like in Fix my Brain and the two gents who work hard to make us like them succeed, in spite of their delivery of nerdy downplaying and rucksacks full of insecurities. They are sweet, which must be a terrible thing to call a comedian, but that consideration for each other is pretty unique in a world of brash loud laddish comics and well worth a peek at.

Play until May 22

For full info on this show, click here:

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