Low Down

Joyously indefinable joker and entertainer talks round an entire audience in an hour of comedy theatre, one-man talk.

Review

This is truly unique . Kaye bases his act on talking with the audience and playing the fool. If that sounds toe curlingly embarrassing bear with me. 

I was talked into seeing this by a friend. His description didn't sell it to me but his taste is usually pretty sound so i went and very glad I am too. Kaye is a very funny man who can tell jokes,perform hilariously dodgy 'tricks' and riff with an audience in a way that is very funny without being the least bit exploitative. He is not a man who has to try to be funny,he just is. He is also delightfully free of any sense of artistic ego. As such he goes against almost all the acts you will see in the festival. Is this theatre? It is storytelling that's for sure - not just his own but the audiences as well. Every night will be different but ours included an amazing take on Shakespeare and four young  men,all brothers, taking the stage to sing 'The Chattanagga choo choo'.

Kaye obviously knows everything about improvisational theatre and audience participation that there is to know but he wears his avant garde credentials so lightly you only realise this when you're having a drink with fellow audience members afterwards. Which I'm sure you will do because this is a tuly friendly show which goes on after the hour is up. 'There's nowhere for me to go' explains Kaye as we applaud him in his tiny venue 'I just have to wait til you go to the bar'. We took him with us and he didn't need to buy a pint all night. Delightful and fascinating - Jonathan kaye and his audience are the highlight of my Festival.

Reviewed by RGR 23/08/07

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