Chris Grace is a comic genius. His previous work, 27 Hours, showed the artifice and skill of putting together a show in a small amount of time, finding material in pretty much everything. His other well know show, Chris Grace, as Scarlett Johansson, explored complex themes in a clown-like way. His new show, 88% is about nuance and social friction, and asks the question; “can you get along with someone you only mostly agree with?”
Or to put it another way, if someone you respect or want to work with says something fairly rotten or mean, where do you draw the line? And how does that work in a society full of complicated social issues, filled with people who have wildly different amounts of experience and intelligence?
88% opens with Chris warning the audience that we will disagree with him over something. This is the long set-up to some brilliant humour, but also a statement of fact; the world is a big and complicated place, how could anyone be expected to see eye-to-eye about everything? In the hands of someone less skilled, this might be the set-up for lazy, stereotypical humour. With Grace, we get nuance and absurdity, brilliantly observed in a highly personable yet relatable way.
For example, there is a strong and well-thought-out piece on the nuances regarding AI. Grace admits to being a fan of technology in general and has a good handle on AI’s positive and negative uses, as well as a sense of disgust at how it’s being commercially propagated. It’s impassioned, it’s heartfelt, and because Grace knows how to make you laugh, there’s an incredible moment in which you stop and laugh at how crazy the world has become.
Edgy humour is easy; nuanced humour that walks the line of taste is incredibly hard to get right, and Grace navigates us to this elevated space in an elegant and deeply funny way.
Chris Grace 88% is a lesson in laughing at ourselves and our differences, and the insanity of the modern world. Brilliant. There was a time we used to judge shows by percentages; those are long gone, but this show deserves bringing it back: 88%.
