Neil Delamere has delivered a polished, accomplished hour of stand-up comedy in his new show DelaMere Mortal.  His template is very much par for the course, there is nothing particularly new here. He is, however, very, very funny.  His material is consistently strong; he easily develops a rapport with the audience and manages to tie them into the show, without ever appearing as if it’s a mark of desperation or due to suspect material.

He uses a prop of a video clip of him on an Irish TV show called Blackboard Jungle, in which the young Mr. Delamere appeared on as a precocious teenager.  He compares the young man on the screen with the balding older man in front of us.  It’s a simple but effective device and provides plenty of material for Delamere to riff on.

There is a digression into a story about chickens which is almost a show killer, it’s a serious mis-step but he quickly marches through it. That aside there is very little I can fault him for, other than while the material may not be original; ageing, relationships etc, his delivery and stage craft are exemplary and really he should be playing to bigger crowds and venues.  

Not every show at the Fringe has to be cutting edge, some just need to supply a good night out and with Mr Delamere you’ll get exactly that.

Neil Delamere : DelaMere Mortal

Pleasance Courtyard

Until 26 August, 9:00pm