Words: Calum Baxter

4 stars

Chris Cantrill has a knack for making discomfort funny. In Rewilding, Chris turns his own anxieties about fitting in, getting older and small-town neighbourhood politics into a very enjoyable hour of stand-up.

Cantrill’s previous Edinburgh show earned him an Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination, and he has since added a writing role on Saturday Night Live UK to his CV. Success, however, has not necessarily made him feel any more at home. A city boy from Bradford, he slowly adapts to the idiosyncrasies of rural life in a small village near Hadrian’s Wall.

There is an appealing contradiction at the heart of Cantrill’s performance. He comes across as confident and charismatic on stage, laughing along with the audience, yet much of the material is rooted in the awkwardness of not knowing where you truly belong. Of being an outsider. This makes him particularly relatable and his observations succeed in front-loading laughs early on in the set, before easing us into his more absurd storytelling.

Beneath the high-energy laughs, Rewilding is a reflection on universal themes; loneliness, friendship, aging, and otherness. Cantrill uses this to connect with his audience and keeps the laughs coming.

Chris Cantrill: Rewilding
O’Neill’s (The Tron) at Monkey Barrel Comedy
12.10
7-30 Aug