Ed Gamble at Hackney Empire review: the Off Menu star cooks up a set of smart, slick comedy
Ed Gamble
Ed Gamble's popularity has surged recently in part due to his chart-topping Off Menu foodie podcast in which he and co-host James Acaster gossip with guests about grub. So it is no surprise that the best routine in his solo show Hot Diggity Dog involves cookery.
Indeed, his bloody report of an A&E visit following a dauphinoise potato calamity may well be the most hilarious account of a middle class accident you will hear all year.
This story of slicing his finger when he should have been slicing vegetables sums up Gamble's touring set nicely. It is a slick succession of dispatches from the frontline of someone settling slightly painfully into cosy domesticity in their late 30s. Don't be fooled by the tattoos. Gamble gamely admits that he is more choirboy than card-carrying rebel.
His anecdotes are well-crafted and peppered with smart, self-deprecating humour. He kicks off with an everyday tale of awkward oversharing in his local WhatsApp group – fans may have heard the gist before, but it is an effective gateway into Gamble's mindset, where social embarrassment is rarely far away.
He might have his problems but he is clearly happily married, even if he might be one of the few people to renew their wedding vows on their honeymoon. The couple went to Vegas to celebrate their union, which meant politely putting up with endless strangers commenting on how they had the right name for the casino resort. The saga of renewing their vows is vividly told, right down to the inevitable Elvis tribute act conducting the ceremony.
Gamble is not short of gusto, pumping every rant full of bracing bursts of physical humour, most entertainingly when he recalled learning how to be a drag act for a TV series. A strong seam of relatability runs throughout the show, with swathes of fans clearly at the same life stage as the affable gaffe-prone star.
A riff about the relentless invasion of air fryers struck a widespread nerve as Gamble expressed his exasperation at the way they seem to come in so many sizes. One day, he imagined, there will be an air fryer that only cooks a single grain of rice.
He closed by addressing another familiar theme for many in his demographic, seeing your contemporaries starting families. Gamble doesn't think he is quite ready yet although he has latterly acquired a pet, which he thinks of as his surrogate son, forever talking at it. A bit like stand-up really.
The title, by the way, is not explained. In fact judging by this closing yarn, maybe it should be called Hot Diggity Cat.
Hackney Empire, June 29; hackneyempire.co.uk
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