COMEDY
****
Iain Stirling & Sean McLoughlin
Just the Tonic @ The Store

Comedian friends Iain Stirling and Sean McLoughlin unite at Just the Tonic’s new ‘The Store’ venue to present this hour-long stand-up routine.

I must immediately correct myself – ‘hour-long’ suggests an element of boredom, but if you ask me this show was an hour-short – I wish there had been more of it! These attractive young comedy stars were engaging and entertaining throughout the show, and coped extremely well in the face of a challenging audience. They equally divided the one-hour slot between them which created a contrasting and well-balanced show – you effectively get two great comedians for the price of one – a fact which again some members of the audience didn’t seem to fully appreciate.

This show contains everything a good stand-up show should – self-deprecation, inter-comedian banter, witty puns and hilarious anecdotes. McLoughlin has a sort of lanky awkwardness to him which is sort of endearing and amusing rather than distracting. He recounts how he was once described by a reviewer as ‘promising’, and I couldn’t agree more – I look forward to seeing where he’s climbed to by next year’s Fringe. As for Stirling, it is evident that he has been working in television as well – he has a great rapport with the audience, connecting with all of them and delivering a polished, professional performance.

My only criticism of this show is that some of the jokes and anecdotes didn’t necessarily work with this audience and in this venue – more a comment on them rather than the show itself though. Give these guys a year and they will undoubtedly be giving us a five star show in a much bigger venue – they really are stars of the future.