Des Bishop
Fitting In
Higher Ground
Sun 25 March
season ended


Just a little warning for those who may have read about Des Bishop's show 'Fitting In' in the Fringe guide. From what's written there, you may think the act has a specific focus on his experience moving from America to Ireland as a teenager. In reality, it's mostly about his testicles. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you don't want to hear about testicles, you've been told. But lest you think Bishop is aiming for crudeness, I can reassure you by saying that this slant concerns a successful fight against testicular cancer. This is just one of the many personal topics that he lays bare in his first Australian show, along with his former drug and alcohol problems, his gradual adaptation to the Irish way of life and his movement away from the Catholic church. Despite some obvious nervousness in his debut performance, Bishop is never less than open and unabashed with his audience. Interesting and absorbing as his stories are, I found it hard to get past Bishop's comedic style, which is very insistent and brash, and tends to bury the jokes. Adding to the effect is a very strong New York accent (with just a hint of Irish lilt here and there) that, as he says himself, comes through even without a mic. This kind of delivery may not be a problem for everyone, and there were some very enthusiastic laughs from the audience I was in. 'Fitting In' is a comedy experience that's a little different from the standard observational fare. It may not be to everyone's taste, but whether you laugh or not it's an interesting way to spend an hour with a natural storyteller.

Henry Nicholls