HomeArts & LifestyleEdinburgh Festival Fringe 2018 - Adam Rowe: Undeniable review

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018 – Adam Rowe: Undeniable review

Adam Rowe has filled his venue at Just The Tonic in Edinburgh with an audience who in the majority hasn’t seen his work before. Undeniably, he is a grafter who undoubtedly works tirelessly during the fringe to do so.

Undeniable is a perfectly paced and structured show which has a strong and positive message (he also has a strong eyelid thanks to an operation to place a thigh muscle in it). He is a ‘doer’ and you can’t fail but to be swept along in his optimism and honesty, but most importantly, his ability to generate laughs.

The venue has the feel of a church and the audience have congregated to receive an hour of expertly crafted stand-up in his third show Undeniable. He is very open about his growth as a human being and explains we should all be considered a work in progress. This makes for hilarious moments during the show and audience interaction perfectly reiterates his point, demonstrating a refreshing self-awareness that makes it impossible not to laugh as we see this unfold in real time.

Largely centred around his relationship with his middle-class girlfriend, who he keeps saying ‘is not the one’ (he’s not being mean, he just has a fear of failure and doesn’t need the pressure), he is able to highlight both the dangers of only being exposed to stereotypes (wrongly assuming his Russian neighbour was going to kill him due to the portrayal of Russians as villains in films) and benefits of making a judgement in a hazardous situation based on assumptions of growing up in Liverpool (advising his girlfriend not to kick-off at the driver of a black land-rover with tinted windows as they’re probably a drug dealer and he doesn’t want to get punched).

His other key message, other than don’t pick an argument with someone you wouldn’t beat in a fight, is that adversity in life can become what gives you resilience and strength. His comedy is an absolute delight and focuses on the primary objective of the medium – to make audiences laugh and enjoy themselves. No ending on a serious note, no lectures, no guilt trips – Undeniable is a masterclass in stand-up and it is a joy to hear Adam speak. He recognises that while we are where we are in life, we can control our own destiny and who we are  or want to grow to be. A motivating message in 2018, and it’s undeniable that he makes the art of stand-up look easy. In Edinburgh especially, that’s no easy task.

You can’t afford to miss this and this pay-what-you-can gig is worth much more (financially as well as quality) than the higher priced ticketed shows at this year’s festival fringe.

Title: Adam Rowe: Undeniable Venue: Pleasance Below Dates: 2nd-26th August Time: 6pm (one hour) Tickets https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/adam-rowe-undeniable

Katy Davies
Katy Davies
Interest in comedy, the arts and emerging voices.

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