Edinburgh Fringe review: Max Dickins, My Groupon Adventure
It’s an interesting and eye-catching idea; Max Dickins buys a different activity every week for a year from Groupon, the daily deals company.
Recording his unusual, quirky and downright bizarre experiences on a blog proved an inspired move by Max. It’s already gained him more media exposure than he’s ever garnered through his stand-up.
None of the above necessarily translates into a great show and, sadly, that proves to be the case. There’s just not enough comedy meat on the bones of Max’s Groupon adventures. Or perhaps it’s the way he tells it.
Max’s over-reliance on projected photographs to provide the punch line to his various activities soon paled. It had all the appeal of looking at the holiday snaps of someone you know slightly.
To do justice to Max, he connected well with the audience and, while there were laughs, his best lines came when he departed from the script.
Further positives are that Max is a tall, good looking and charming young man. Not laugh-out-loud funny, but what he does have about him is a vulnerability of the quirky, questioning quality of a Louis Theroux.
It takes more than one interesting idea to create a successful show. Ultimately, and nowhere more so than in the spotlight of Edinburgh, it’s about the quality of the material. That’s not something you’re likely to pick up on a Groupon deal.
Date of live review: 5 August 2014 @ Pleasance Courtyard
