★★★★★
You’d think it would be an impossible task to review a compilation show, wouldn’t you? With a different line of comedians each day, surely it’s a lucky dip? With Disabled Cants you couldn’t be more wrong.
The whole set up is perhaps the most accessible, friendly and inclusive comedy show I’ve ever seen at the Edinburgh Fringe. The audience is predominately disabled, and the understanding between the acts and audience is electric, this is about us and for us.
Led by Benny Shakes and Mark Nicholas, who alternate MCing duties, at this show, Benny’s hosting had the audience enraptured, with quick-fire jokes and audience work that would rival The Comedy Store. Shakes even incorporated audio-description into the show at the last minute, which was a great touch and showed the responsiveness to be as inclusive as possible.
Mark Cooper’s inspired set shows the craft of disabled comedians, the way Cooper uses his stammer to create tension, set-up and punchlines could never be achieved by a non-disabled stand-up.
Don Biswas closed the show, with his trademark left-wing rallying cry against the 1% peppered with awesome one-liners and observations. Biswas’s unapologetic stance did cause an audience member to heckle with some evidently far-right commentary. The tension in the room was palpable, but as often happens, when our community comes together, we all made sure Don was supported and never for a moment allowed the heckler to cause any disruption.
Disabled Cants is one of the best examples of a show created by disabled people for disabled people – something we have always wanted! Perfect!
Disabled Cants is at Laughing Horse @ Bar 50 – Garden Room till the 27th August
