This hour of stand-up ran at the Laughing Horse as part of the Free Fringe at Edinburgh this year, and captures Cobin Millage in his second alternative show.
Fifteen Pints With a Wax Figure of Renowned Painter Pablo Picasso is, as you might imagine, NOT about Picasso at all, but more a collection of fast-paced jokes and funny stories from a performer who owns a heckle from the past who said “you dress like a sex pest from the 80s”.
Millage is a quick and confident performer, quickly capturing the attention of the room with a quick-fire delivery. The eye contact is great, and the act feels like a chat in the pub with the slightly jokey friend who likes to stand a round.
The routines feel improvised but the cogs must be working overtime in this comedian’s brain. Manic, cheeky, and personable, Millage is one of those performers who have a gift for getting laughter from those who turn up to his show.
There is a brief segue about Picasso “horrible person”, but this show isn’t about him, it is about – well, suffice to say it is silly and surreal.
There’s a bit of mileage in Millage’s Canadian background, with a whole sequence about the weirdness of professional hockey. The bizarre nature of other Fringe performances is referenced, whether improvised or imagined.
Millage has a strong physical presence with a jovial edge. His comedy has strong language but is not nasty or vicious. He touches on his current status as a performance seeking a visa extension to stay here and continue developing shows.
He pokes fun as “disgusting fashion” you can buy cheaply online, as befits a man who wears bizarre shirts and a pair of chunky white Crocs. There’s even a stooge who dresses the same.
Delivering his show in a small dark room, audience up close, Millage shares a fine bit of stand-up, sharing how to see Edinburgh Castle for free, and why the catacombs make up the perfect date.
You may find this comic in larger rooms in the future, or you may find he’s back on a plane across the pond. Let’s hope its the former. This guy is a hoot and deserves it.
Cobin Millage: Fifteen Pints With a Wax Figure of Renowned Painter Pablo Picasso ran at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer. I reviewed from a digital copy of the show.
Follow Millage on Instagram and TikTok.
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