Playing at the Monkey Barrel – Cabaret Voltaire from 17-30 Aug, Canary, a new show from comedian Stuart Goldsmith, looks at the funny side of climate change and global collapse. Reviewing this from a digital copy on the day we reached record temperatures in London, it seemed a perfect show to pick for review.
Goldsmith is genuinely very funny, relatable (“because that’s my job”), and a very confident comedian. His style is scattergun yet assured, and it feels as if his stand-up (“20 years in the game, lauded by critics, embraced by audiences, and yet unencumbered by fame”) is conjured up on the hoof. Of course it isn’t, and that’s the gift.
So, Goldsmith is the “climate comedian”, warm personality, great interaction, and a playful confessor tweaking tales from the audience of using too much water, eating meat, and driving long distances. It’s carbon-consciousness with a smile.
The clever thing about Canary is that it is covering really serious subjects that impact us, but using it to keep us entertaining and bizarre as possible. When do we need to worry and when can we just walk on by?
Bouncing around through all sorts of ideas and references, Goldsmith makes life as curious and uncomfortable and crazy as it really is. He’s bright, hyper, intelligent, and inspired to share.
You do have the mention of actual canaries too, and their historical purpose in keeping miners safe underground. And of course, AI comes into the equation, too. Good, bad, or indifferent for the environment – who knows?
So, Goldsmith is a climate comedian, a conscious comedian, a confident comedian, and cheerful with it. If Canary tells us the world is in crisis, but really, we can’t do that much about some of it, at least it can make you laugh.
5 stars.
Stuart Goldsmith: Canary is at Edinburgh Fringe 17-30 Aug.