***** (5 stars)
“An explosive combination”
‘Twas well over twenty years ago, dear reader, that I was a volunteer at the Fringe, helping to run venue 40, aka the Quaker Meeting House. I was sharing a room with Kathie, who said I simply had to come with her to a performance by a comedian, one Mark Thomas. I had no idea who he was, but agreed to accompany her…
If you’d told me beforehand that I’d nearly wet myself laughing at a show about the wall the Israelis were building in Israel-Palestine, I wouldn’t have believed you: but that’s exactly what happened. Mark, while not disguising his anger at the situation, was able to find love and life and humour – real belly-laugh humour – in the people and places he visited as he walked along that wall. He brought the Palestinians’ plight to our attention not simply by ranting but by bringing them and their situation alive while making us laugh at its absurdity.
Ever since I started reviewing, I’ve tried to catch Mark’s shows. I’ve not always managed it, but when I have, it’s been a memorable occasion. Trespass; The Red Shed; Bravo Figaro!, the piece about his dad; and so many more. And then the amazing England and Son in Summerhall a couple of years ago, in which his gobsmacking acting skills left his audiences stunned and ecstatic… These were all masterclasses in getting your message across while wrapping it in a coating of humour which did nothing to sugar-coat the underlying truths.
Forty years on stage and how is Mark doing? Still as angry, still as outrageous, still as funny; still as passionate about the causes he’s championing and the injustices he’s spotlighting. He warms us up with Trump and gentrification and moves on to Farage, political parties, and so much more – all wrapped up in both a rant and a celebration of his mum’s life and a deep appreciation of the double-bind in which carers, himself and his sister included, find themselves.
As ever, there’s a lot of laughter masking a great deal of both hurt and anger: an explosive combination which makes an evening with Mark both achingly funny and deeply memorable. I hope that many of his audience will have felt moved to do something to improve the injustices and inequalities he’s so passionate about.
Here’s to the next forty years, Mark!
Mark Thomas: 40 in Standup Years, Stand Comedy Club 1, Venue 5, Runs until 30th August for more information go to: Mark Thomas: 40 in Stand-Up Years | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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