by Kim Skinner
Late on the Sunday night of an intensive weekend of Fringe preview shows, Alec Snook’s debut solo hour, Decomposing, Live, has garnered a cosy crowd of 15 or so. Alec’s good friend Luke Messina, a local favourite comedian and producer, has warmed up the audience nicely.
Alec comes onto the stage in a typically untypical way, immediately setting the tone for the show before even saying a word. But hang on a minute: it seems like something is amiss…
And thus we are launched face-first into an hour-long “joyous journey into general decline through short tales, absurdist detours and outraged storytelling”. We hear about the various ways Alec is ‘decomposing’, such as tinnitus, colour-blindness, and the long-term effects of too much hotdog brine; we discover what he has in common with street artist Banksy; we learn that he’s divorced (“Little bit of gossip for you…”); we hear about his forays into the world of dating apps (but trust me, I can 100% guarantee you’ve never heard this angle from any other comedian); and we find out why his mum’s funeral was only the second-best one he’s been to…
Yes, there is a poignancy underpinning Alec’s show: he tells us how he began writing his first comedy set in parallel with writing his beloved mum’s eulogy, as a coping mechanism. But this isn’t your typical ‘dead parent show’. Or any kind of typical show, come to that. Every second of it is delightfully surprising, as he weaves together moments of sincerity and true (but still absurd) stories with the gleefully surreal ones.
It’s a wild and wonderful ride. The audience is fully there for it, with the top down and the hilarious, weird wind in our hair.
Decomposing, Live’s blurb reads: “Expressed as an equation, Snook is: whimsy x wordplay ÷ dark absurdity – integrity.”
Don’t believe the last part though. Between you and me, Alec Snook’s personal and artistic integrity are unrivalled. Just don’t leave your jar of bratwurst unattended …
Decomposing, Live runs Aug. 2-25 at Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters in the Wee Room. Pay-what-you-want and ticket information can be found on the Edinburgh Fringe website.
