Comedy

If you met Maxwell as he is on stage in a bar, you wouldn’t be sure whether to giggle or feel intimidated. However, the Dublin-born comic’s overpowering machismo is all tongue-in-cheek: he dresses in white shorts and chains. His ridiculous gestures and antics skilfully take the edge off his fierce delivery which could otherwise seem provocatively aggressive.

He excels at conveying ridiculous images, from an ad campaign he designed for an embarrassing medical condition to the ninja father who has to 'stealth-wank' to avoid being caught by his children. Maxwell sets them up, and sits back to laughs of recognition.  

An interesting move is his habit of drawing on surprising statistics (such as that three out of four gun crimes take place with a fake gun) as the jumping-off point for gags. This allows him to imagine delicious what-if scenarios, combining one unlikely fact with another to pose a deft question that you can’t help but beam at.

It’s got to be said that the show’s content is pretty unrelated to its title. A lamp of the Aladdin variety does feature, but more as a table decoration than a prop but this really doesn’t matter. Despite having no overarching theme, the show is an hour of solid material. Maxwell’s tight wordplay is delivered as though he's freestyling, unpredictable and dangerous. At one point he asked an audience member to stop filming, saying furtively, 'It’s between us'.  

His writing is exquisite, cynical and insightful, he makes laughing a dirty pleasure. Rude and macho it may be, but this lamp is definitely worth rubbing.

Comedy Bitch is propelled onto Underbelly’s stage by three men, three women, and no weak links. The first part of their slogan is 'Sometimes being funny isn’t enough'. They go on to say, rather blandly, that you have to be 'really funny', but I’m going to use their words to make another point: good sketches are about more than bringing in the laughs.  

The American comic Harvey Korman said the best sketch is like a little play, with a beginning, middle and end. Dramatic craftsmanship is what this articulate team excel at. It’s a product of the considerable theatrical background that they all share, which invests their work with striking credibility. Whether they amble on or open mid-scene, your belief in the characters doesn’t waver. Their sketches are lovely little morsels of well-acted comedy, delicious and perfectly formed.

Each scenario ends with a punch. They don't waste words: scenes are often brief, serving their purpose before the cast move on effortlessly to the next.  Every sketch is entertaining; some are hilarious.

Like the best observational work, Comedy Bitch applies fresh treatments to familiar activities, from battling the self-checkouts at Tesco, to blind dates and babysitting. They often chuck in a surreal twist so that if you had been trying to predict the ending, theirs would be funnier. Children are unexpectedly large, characters from computer games come alive, a pub quiz alternates between terrifying and jovial.  

You can feel a TV contract beckoning, not just because of the promising quality, but the very style of it. The brief, punchy scenes are perfect for TV audiences with a low attention span. The group have particular fun with voiceovers. Someone has an unruly inner monologue, someone else is badly dubbed. Music tracks are employed as more than just padding, including a simply brilliant and zeitgeisty song and dance on a bus. 

As is virtually unavoidable, some scenes are stronger than others. A show that is consistently as funny as their best material would be a dream, and one that I hope they attempt to realise. Well worth a visit, and I think we’ll be seeing them again soon.

Comedy Bitch is on at the Underbelly, 6-30 August at 17:35.

1) Your show, no more than thirty words, go!
'Women! All the women I've ever loved...but not like that. Comedy in an air conditioned room at the Gilded Balloon, 7.30. Suitable for men, women and everyone in between.'

2) What's your favourite Edinburgh related story?
'That one about the dog, Greyfriars Bobby, who waited by his owner even though he was dead - the dog has a statue. Very heartwarming.'

3) Who or what makes you laugh?
'People being serious.'

4) What's the best/worst thing about being a comedian?
'The best thing is being able to share all the things you thought only you noticed or were worried about.'

5) What gets you in the mood to be funny?
'Feeling happy/fabulous.'

6) What's your favourite children's joke?
'What do you get if you catch two thieves? A pair of knickers.
As a child, knickers was the funniest word. Still is.'

7) What's the most memorable heckle you've ever received?
'You gay ugly cunt!' To which I replied '...and don't forget talented'

8) What subject wouldn't you make a joke about?
'I don't do much about politics. I find it a bit dull. But I'd never say never. To anything.'

9) What's your biggest fear?
'Regret.'

10) Complete this sentence: 'A man walks into a bar...and stays there till morning; he's probably in Edinburgh.'

Tom Allen is appearing in 'Women!' at the Gilden Balloon daily at 19:30 daily.