Steve Bennett gives his verdict on the shortlisted quintet... Well, one out of five ain't bad. It's terrible.
Chris Addison was the only one of the five Perrier nominees I correctly predicted and that was the safest bet of the lot.
For me, Sarah Kendall was the biggest surprise. Perrier have been criticised for years for not having a female on the list and she's one of the best comics on the circuit, male or female, but for me her Fringe show was far from her finest.
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| Sarah Kendall |
That last year's nominee Reginald D Hunter made the list again is testament to his huge charisma, in a show that proves utterly absorbing even if the laughs dry out.
Epitaph and Jackson's Way were both unknown quantities at the start of the festival.
Jackson's Way, which I've yet to see, has been the sleeper hit of the festival, extending its original one-week booking to a full run, based on word-of mouth alone.
It is the creation of 30-year-old actor Will Adamsdale, who performs in the guise of American life coach Chris John Jackson.
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| Jackson's Way |
Epitaph is a delight - a two-man American sketch show that got under the comedy radar by being listed under the theatre section of the Fringe programme. However, there's nothing in Perrier's rules that stops them being eligible.
The Perrier recognition is not the first 2004 accolade for the show, written and performed by Ethan Sandler and Adrian Wenner, won a sketch comedy award at the Aspen Comedy Festival earlier this year.
Of the newcomer nominees, Wil Hodgson is surely the most interesting, A West Country anarcho-punk former wrestler with a message.
Alun Cochrane's a sterling regular on the stand-up circuit, and Joanna Neary has long been working on her character sketch act on the Brighton stage.
The wildcard entry in this category is Sabotage, New Mexico sketch duo Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez.
I saw their show, which leans heavily on physical comedy, yesterday. Around a dozen of the 500 seats in the George Square Theatre were filled.
The power of the Perrier means that won't be happening for the rest of the run.
