Edinburgh Fringe review: Tiff Stevenson, Mad Man
If there’s a correlation between the space a comedian occupies and their career standing, then Tiff Stevenson is doing very nicely, thank you.
The Stand Comedy Club 6, the ballroom of a well appointed local hotel for the remainder of the year, is a good space. It’s a big space to fill, even for those with burgeoning telly recognition, and she damn near did.
Confident and self-assured, Tiff quickly finds out who’s seen her before and who hasn’t. Returners seem to be in the majority. She tells us first timers that she’s amazing and that we’re in for a treat. It’s all done with such vigour that you feel obliged to jump on and go along for the ride.
Tiff’s set covers a surprisingly amount of ground: from serious issues such as politics, racism and sexism to celebrity culture. She’s a feminist, properly angry and preachy – and devastatingly funny – with a serious target in her sights. I’ll never look at Jack Daniel’s in quite the same way again.
While still funny, Tiff’s routines on Katie Hopkins, Kim Kardashian and Iggy Azalea don’t add significantly to her lustre given that they present such easy targets. She’s better than that. There’s also a risk that juxtaposing material on the banalities of celebrity may detract from her impact on the serious issues she cares about passionately.
More encouragingly, Tiff clearly knows her best material, cleverly placing it at the beginning, mid-point and end of her set. She’s a brave performer who’s prepared to try things.
She showed she can carry a tune and master an accent and sound effect. Look out too for her making the audience wait, and wait, and wait a bit more, for a nice punch line.
Tiff Stevenson delivered on the treat she promised. She deserves all the repeat business that’s coming her way.
Date of live review: 14 August 2015 @ The Stand Comedy Club 6
Click to read all our 2015 Edinburgh Fringe coverage so far.
