It’s never easy to follow an absolutely killer show, and Bampot was something special. It had been touring since 2018 and we had been recommending it to people ever since we first saw it – it deserved all of its plaudits, nominations and awards and gave Larry Dean the kind of exposure that it can take some clowns a while to get used to. And adds pressure to whatever you do next.

We bought the tickets as soon as we saw this clown appear on the Edfringe website, this was a no brainer – whatever material he brought to the mic, we wanted to be there to experience it.

As we filed into the Monkey Barrel’s largest venue it was a pleasant surprise to find Larry Dean greeting us all at the door on the way in, a nice touch, and it quickly became apparent that he had sold out this cavernous room for yet another night.

Our clown for the evening starts with some well-worn classics but quickly shifts into something new with a series of tragic/depressing lockdown gags delivered over a backing track of ‘Blame it on the Boogie‘ – apparently people take sad news better with a lively tune. I have no idea if that’s true – but it is funny!

A fantastic series of anecdotes follow (all featuring, in one form or another, our clown’s show director, and very good friend, Paul), culminating in a excellent tale from the time Larry accidentally smuggled drugs through the Middle East. You can see the emotion on our clown’s face as he gets further through the routine, and the heartbreaking reason he’s telling it.

This was the first show this year to truly flip that emotional switch on us. I’m used to getting that feeling from Fringe legends like Andrew Maxwell and Reginald D Hunter but I had forgotten that this was a skill that Larry Dean also has in his bag. To silence a laughing room would normally be the worst thing for a clown… but if you can master that pace and mood change you have an incredibly powerful comedy weapon.

This must have been a tough show to write and perform, dealing as it does with love and loss. The show was not one of tragedy, but one about celebrating the lives of those that have left us and recognising their impact on our worlds.

The closing act of a truly amazing day of stand-up comedy at the Monkey Barrel.

Clown Stars: * * * * *

@Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh

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