Ewan May: ‘Brian Club’ Review by Ben Pabla
★★★★★
Going by a comedian’s material alone, Ewan May is probably the most well-known comedian in Barcelona. He doesn’t need to have a huge Instagram following, doesn’t need to be out and about at every show, doesn’t need to cosy up to promoters or other big comedians, etc. Solely due to what he can do onstage, people know about him. He is consistently unique, bloody hilarious, and one of the only comedians I would say is worth seeing.
In his latest show, Brian Club, the audience is treated to the most delightful silliness. Ewan likes to take you through an idea rather than just spill out the joke. Rather than explain to you what he found funny in something, he’ll play out a scenario where we see the joke being on him. For example, at the start of the show, he points to a friend in the audience, fellow comedian and Barcelona favourite, Alec Snook. He states how meaningful their friendship is, appreciates Alec for coming to see the show, and for agreeing to give Ewan some notes on the show. To which, Alec then comes to the stage, puts on a lab coat, and sits at the side of the stage, proclaiming, “If I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna do it properly.” Ewan then looks dumbfounded, reluctantly accepting the situation. Throughout the show Ewan checks in with Alec as Alec provides live notes. What follows is a series of hilarious bits, i.e. getting people onstage to pick him up and stretch him out (as this is his favourite way of staying fit he states), guiding the audience through a guided meditation where they hear exotic birds (exotic bird sounds performed in a screeching manner by Ewan), and just way too much good stuff to fit in this review.
Ewan is a brave performer; he puts himself out there. Due to his sense of humour, there’s always a danger the audience won’t follow or could dislike what he has installed. But rather than conform for the sake of easy laughs or appeal to a mass audience, he’s got bottle—World Cup final penalty shootout, Prince guitar solo, extra chilli sauce bottle.
And you could say, “well that’s what performers should be doing anyway” but rarely do performers do that. He believes in what he does and by doing that, he spreads such a joyous feeling amongst the audience. There’s a saying in comedy: “It’s a good sign when people keep coming back to see you, but it’s a great sign when other comedians keep coming back to see you.” And you’ll see exactly that in Ewan’s audience. A mix of the public and other comedians laughing their heads off. And if there’s anything you should take away from Brian Club, it’s to feel good and to definitely talk about Brian Club.
This review of Brian Club, written and performed by Ewan May, was based on his Nov. 7, 2024 performance at Imprfcto Parallel during the Barcelona Fringe Festival.
