André De Freitas: ‘As Yet Untitled‘ Review by Esther
The ‘Cinema Room’ at The Brass Monkey is the perfect venue for someone who once referred to himself as “the Portuguese Papi.” André De Freitas stands by the door and welcomes us with a “come in, grab a bed.” This is because the so-called ‘Cinema Room’ is filled with seemingly just the longue parts of a chaise longue, meaning we’re all more slouched than seated — not ideal for a comedy show.
Off the top, André lets us know that the show’s title, As Yet Untitled, is essentially not a title because it’s a work-in-progress show, which he says he started writing 10 days earlier. He adds, “I’m working it out as I go along” (bearing in mind we’re about two weeks into the Fringe when we see him). Naturally, it is a little all over the place; there is a very loose thread about him possibly being cursed by an ex-girlfriend. André calls back to a joke he forgot he didn’t make. And for no clear reason, André mentions how he has a Black friend who doesn’t feel Black enough because he doesn’t feel like he’s experienced racism.
As expected, there are sex and drug anecdotes throughout, which might have been too early for a tepid four o’clock audience. André comes close to scratching at some semblance of depth when he says his mum has cancer, which makes him realise he doesn’t really know his parents. So, he has started to take them out on “little dates… I’m finding out we have nothing in common,” he quips.
Crowdwork, where André usually tends to shine, is minimal as he has a quiet crowd. So, while there are some good jokes, there aren’t as many big laughs as one might expect from browsing his social media profiles.
