Heading to the Brighton Fringe on 9-10 May, Sam Walls (of Bad Clowns) is staging his first show, Sam and _____.
It’s supposed to be a two-hander by Sam and Gaz, but Gaz is nowhere to be seen, so Sam has to improvise for an hour without his sidekick.
Sam and _____ is silly, bonkers and clever. Walls is an engaging performer who commands a crowd with ease and brings us into the daft premise very quickly.
Songs, comedy and sketches dot through this genuinely funny show. The material is good, feels fresh, and engages in a fair bit of wordplay.
The digital copy I was sent is filmed by one camera in portrait mode, so misses bits of the visual act here and there but the quality is absolutely fine and I felt on board with both the idea of Sam and _____ and the gags themselves.
True, the audience engagement is defined early on by the ‘what do you do’ routine, but this is a ruse to get us comfortable as Sam without Gaz tumbles into anarchy.
I had a lot of fun with this show. A one-man version of a two-man act is inspiring as the idea for a solo show, making us question the mechanics of such a partnership.
Walls is a master of idiocy, voices, and characterisation. If you have enjoyed pretty much any comic duo of the past, you may see echoes here. I’d question whether the phone bit is really necessary, but that’s a small matter to adjust.
As a work in progress, this is remarkably polished and assured. Sam and _____ pulls volunteers up to read in Gaz’s lines, attempts a duo juggling sketch, and worries about sound effects.
One fun bit is directing the audience in a musical cornucopia of fun. It’s an old trick that dates back decades, but never gets old, and tickles the old funny bone with style.
4 stars.
Sam and _____ is at Comedy at the Caxton as part of Brighton Fringe on 9-10 May 2026 – details here.