Edinburgh Fringe Recommendation: Now That’s What I Carl Donnelly

Words by Susan Ford

I think one of the reasons I like Carl Donnelly so much today is because of the volume of gags that take place in a zoo, and I really love a zoo! At first impression, you could say that Carl Donnelly is an observational comedian, but be quick to dismiss that idea as his observations are not at all obvious and in fact are very unique to the way he thinks about the world. Going to and listening to Donnelly’s show this year is an insight in to his mind, and how cleverly he can apply comedy to any scenario.

As mentioned, Donnelly has a fair amount of animal-based humour in his set, but it is just a coincidence that so many animals have been funny this year! He also has a heap of other stories about interesting train journeys and his personal life that make again for hilarious set ups, but only once he has applied the Donnelly comedic-twist to make them inspiringly funny. It is certainly evident that Donnelly is passionate about writing jokes and making people laugh, and he has created a wonderful stand up show on these grounds.

You may recognise Carl Donnelly from various TV shows, including ‘Mock the Week’, but he shines through as a stand up this Festival as well. He is dressed to impress, meaning that his emotional and interactive stage presence is a joy to watch as well as listen too. Donnelly tells his anecdotes and jokes with enthusiasm and skill, proving himself to be an artful and absolutely brilliant comedian.

Carl Donnelly’s Edinburgh Fringe run finishes on 24th August in Pleasance, so I recommend you get your tickets in early.

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