Homepage News Reviews - Acts - Shows - Screen - Radio - Books - Clubs Interviews Awards 2006 Edinburgh 2005 - Reviews - Blog - Previews Features Archive Awards 2005 Edinburgh 2004: - Previews - Shows - Diary Guestbook Forum © Emporium Of Mirth 2004 Editor: Lauren Murphy Reporters: Fiona Wilkie Natalie Joanne	Emporium of Mirth Phil Kay Phil Kay You’d think that any comedian who came on stage armed with a cheese sandwich, a picture of Keanu Reeves and what looks like a huge foam toilet seat cover would be desperate for laughs. But Phil Kay’s clever and almost unintelligible stream of self-deprecating irony about when and how he should bring in the sandwich, not wanting to peak too early or draw attention away from any funny material he may have automatically gets you on his side. He asks the audience to let him know if they see an opportune moment to surprise them with the cheese sandwich. I get the impression it goes over most of their heads, as some nod politely while others laugh in a slightly unsure manner. That’s to be expected; this is Preston after all. A comedian who manages to go through his entire routine without making one joke about sex is alien to a student audience, and refreshing to me. Phil is nothing short of brilliant, but the rest of the audience don’t see it. And they also don’t seem to realise that heckling a professional comedian will always end in more humiliation for them than the comedian, a fact exemplified by the bloke who sarcastically shouted out that he was on the edge of his seat to hear the end of an anecdote, and was instantly told by Phil to “sit back then”. Phil’s randomness comes to a peak at the end of his act when he picks up a guitar, and demonstrates superior rhyming ability by improvising narrative on the audience sung to a few chords. Perhaps he lets this part of the act go on for slightly too long… there’s only so much surrealism one can take. Nonetheless, Phil remains one of the most original and different comedians I have ever seen, and his popularity will probably suffer because of it. Review by Nat RSS  Printable version	Visit our Siamese Twin Sister Site!