How was this show just a fiver? At this years Fringe Larry Dean had to not only deal with the break-up of his relationship but also face the fact that every single one of his audience members this year would have probably gladly paid at least double what he was asking for this show. (Seriously Larry, if you drop me an e-mail I will gladly send you the extra tenner that I feel I owe you for this gig.)

When comedians say that they have had to throw a show together for the fringe or re-write one just a couple of weeks before I usually don’t believe them. I am aware of the amount of time and effort that goes in to crafting one of these shows -especially a great one- and it is not a quick process.

Larry starts this show by explaining that the show was originally about the relationship he was in with a lovely Aussie bloke called Luke. He waxes lyrical about how great he is and how he feels genuinely in love… he then explains that they unexpectedly broke up just two weeks before the start of the fringe and how the show has now been rewritten to fit that life twist.

I am a horrific cynic but after watching just 5 minutes of this show neither myself or any other audience member could have had any doubts that this was the cold hard truth and not a comedy crutch to justify a routine.

The day we saw Larry he had also just found out that he had not won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for which he had been very rightly nominated. This was an emotional Clown, he performed perfectly but there was someone in the front row who he knew and who didn’t yet know about the end of his relationship and on a couple of occasions he had to tell them “stop, don’t start or I’ll go”. If he was genuinely this close to tears it makes this gig an even more spectacular triumph.

Larry is a masterful story teller and it isn’t long before you are listening and laughing about what he was like as a child or how the reason that he thinks he’s gay is because he decided at a young age to do exactly the opposite of his overbearing older brother… who is now a priest.

A line about how he enjoys taking his straight mates to gay bars except when he is hitting THAT type of gay bar “y’know the ones where if you drop your mobile you are better off kicking it home” had me hurting but it was just one of a great many lines that kept the audience solidly laughing throughout the show.

We then return to his most recent relationship, the high’s, the lows and the now predictable end. It is often said that great comedy comes from tragedy and the pain that this clown obviously still feels is channeled in to one epic performance.

Larry Dean is a clown flying high and yet still rising, a must see if he is coming to your town.

Clown Stars: * * * * *

@Assembly George Square Studios, Edinburgh