Edinburgh Festival

Carey Marx (3 stars)

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Holding a teddy bear aloft, Marx says, ‘I’ve got a new rape joke,’ and then proceeds to cast aspersions on little people, religious fanatics and his poor girlfriend, nicknamed ‘Elbow Face’. Scapegoating the bear when his more offside jokes fail to please is his tactic, with varying effectiveness. Low-brow and bizarre, the rapid-fire jokes need more time for follow-through in this uneven routine.

Underbelly, 0870 745 3083, until 27 Aug (not 13), 8.50pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).

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Comments

1. Robsta, Lewes East Sussex – 21 March 2009, 12:29pm(4s)Report

There is something I find addictive about Carey Marx; I've seen him twice now and although some of his routine was familiar the second time, it still had me creased. Perhaps it's his timing, his mischievous, sly delivery, the double-whammy punchlines: the second take thrown away almost carelessly like an afterthought. He doesn't do bombastic or hyperactive like some. The style is half-pissed conversational, slightly slurred. He varies his pace: stream-of-consciousness and longish pauses. The content veers between obscene and surreal, sometimes combining both. He's blissfully totally un-PC. He's the funniest stand-up I've seen since Izzard or Gervais and is as outrageous as Jimmy Carr but more endearing. I almost gave him 5 stars but want to leave him room to refresh his schtick. My partner was doubled-up with laughter, so it's not just for blokes, but I so want to turn some of my mates on to him on a lads' night out: first time round I could hardly draw breath, I laughed so much I ached.

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