by **** (out of 5)
Nominated already for best show earlier this year at the Melbourne festival for this hour, and a previous multiple nominee in Edinburgh, Tom Ballard has returned with this hour, only here and now it has simultaneously taken on both a darker turn and a loosey-goosey one. The former, because he’s now performing in the UK, where his takedown of the British Monarchy lands much harder, especially just yards from where the dead Queen’s coffin rolled down the Royal Mile last year. As for the looseness? Well, that just might be what the Fringe does to Ballard? After all, the last time he came to Edinburgh in 2019, he wound up having gay sex with a witch! This year, he’s in a committed relationship with a 25-year-old circus acrobat who has his own show at the Fringe (Common Dissonance) and also somehow homophobic? Ballard’s take: “As a queer man I’m offended, as a comedian I’m delighted!”
He enjoys equally laughing at himself for the lack of fans in the room who may have seen his comedy special on Paramount+ or read his book bashing Boomers, as he does ranting against the royal family or Rupert Murdoch. Get fat. Get mad. And get yourself to Ballard’s show to have a laugh about it all.
Tom Ballard: It Is I runs through Aug. 27 at Monkey Barrel Comedy, Monkey Barrel 1
