When SNL UK hit big earlier this year, it made stars of several comics just starting their careers. That was not the case with Larry Dean, who has been peddling his brand of crowd-pleasing Glasgow comedy for well over a decade. You know what you’re going to get with a show from the fringe veteran: little in the way of depth or innovation, but plenty of expert standup craft from a man whose body, face, voice and words are all oriented directly towards the funny.
While his act rarely changes, one discerns a scintilla more weirdness in 36-year-old Dean than in the cheeky-chappy, boy-next-door version of old. He’s got up in a smoking jacket and artist’s bow tonight, as he updates us on his recent engagement and marriage to his Black Country beau, and on the autism diagnosis first outlined in his 2024 show Dodger. There’s some riffing on the overlaps between gay and autistic, and a fun bit imagining the generation of “non-trauma gays” we might expect now homosexuality is no longer so stigmatised.
Dean’s faux-horror at that prospect is characteristic: gay and neurodiverse he may be, but his material has long made common cause with traditionalists. See tonight’s joke wrinkling its nose at the idea of “validating someone’s feelings” – or indeed his contribution to my least favourite genus of routine, the Royal Variety Performance/“when I met King Charles” anecdote. (“I forgot to bow …!”)
But this latest show is more notable for Dean’s emotional openness, as he airs the anxieties he brought to bear on his recent engagement, and the joy taken in its fulfilment. We get the story of his proposal of marriage – abortive in the deep south, achieved next to some bins in Edinburgh. There’s also a sidebar on the Iranian branch of his family, whose culture is of less interest to his fellow Glaswegians than the crucial question, “are you a Catholic Muslim or a Protestant Muslim?” Luxuriating now in both conjugal and professional success, Dean delivers a more cheerful experience than ever.
• At Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, until 30 August
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