Thursday August 22nd 2024
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Sporting his classic blue jump-suit, Paul Foot manically made his way through the crowd. Speaking to members of the audience he went off in a tangent about his show needing purpose, a metaphor and a meaning. Getting up in members of the audiences faces, he began to preview his unique manic comedy.
Paul Foot’s stand-up comedy is unique, using audience interactions to elevate his comedy to another level. He jumps off his stage to speak to the audience, standing up on chairs in moments of passion and shouting in people’s faces to get his point across. Creating a show that’s less of a routine performance and more of an improvised story that goes off into random tangents but still always has a meaning.
His show ‘Dissolve’ focuses on himself. Using memories and trauma throughout his life, he told the story of his years of depression and how he overcome mental illness. Focusing on the key date that he overcame depression and, in his own words, the day he became enlightened, he leads us through a timeline of his depression.
This newfound happiness or ‘enlightenment’ is obvious in his show, with his wacky nature coming across as a man who has overcame trauma but, in the process, has left him with a unique personality. The very theatrical performance was unique, using exaggerated humour, such as, taking a long time to drink water, leaving an uncomfortable silence in the room that the audience loved.
His storytelling is what made this show unique, using a serious topic to create laughter. Taking the conversation into different directions, his random tangents added to the comedy, talking about stories from his childhood that had nothing to do with the final story, but they were just funny. His delivery was spot on, creating a unique style that I have never seen before, elevated by his excellent crowd work and combined with his manic nature, it all added up to be a perfect show.
If you are looking for a strange but highly entertaining evening, this is a must-see show. Coming out feeling enlightened like Paul himself, he takes us through overcoming trauma but with humour and laughter all the through. Highlighting in his show the meaning of life, he adds laughter to his troubled times, opening up to us in a humorous way.
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