There are some stand up comedians who are a bit, shall we say, ‘in your face’. Rob Auton is the polar opposite, and we imagine that going for a pint with him would be a convivial exercise, that didn’t just involve him throwing out one liners and waiting to hear you laugh.
Billed as ‘stand up / spoken word’, this show is a whimsical, rambling hour of fluffy tips on how to speak in public, with audience participation and numerous tangents on the path through Auton’s list of pointers for public speaking.
Auton’s stagecraft is solid, and he handles the audience deftly, whilst poking light fun at the Edinburgh Fringe, this specific venue, and a lack of signage which makes The Blue Room at Assembly George Square somewhat difficult to find. Auton’s brand of lightly observational humour continues to lead us down the path towards a surprisingly emotive ending, and a touch of philosophical musing.
The title of the show references the need for human contact, and how “we need everyone”, whatever our skills or interests. Rob also makes an interesting point about internet pile on’s, and how they differ from those of the school playground – it’s part of a longer section of this show about the internet, and how it’s effected our sense of community.
Packed full of pop culture references, this is a relaxed, whimsical hour of inoffensive reflections on how crowds support, or suppress, how they make us part of something, and make others feel isolated.
