Review

REVIEW: Adam Hess: Seahorse – 4*

Radio Ha-Ha! talks Ha-Ha!

Written by Sarah Exton

From seeing his shorter sets in London where he performs 5-10 minutes of material, I was fascinated with how this highly energetic, and spirited comedian would portray himself over an hour-long show. Would he be able to maintain his energy? Would it become exhausting to watch him for that long? Would there be any sense of consistency or flow?

Answers: Yes, he can maintain the energy. No, it wasn’t exhausting to watch (personally). Yes, there is a good flow to the show.

Filled with non-stop punchy one-liners, the narrative of ‘Seahorse’ is about Adam having to move back in with his parents and seeing friends from the past. Adam’s performance style of seemingly getting distracted and going on tangents, mixed with some back and forth with audience members, meant that the hour just completely sped by.

From the very beginning, the show is a burst of energy and the momentum didn’t show signs of slowing down. Normally, there is some level of responsibility on the audience and their ability to fuel the performance. However, the pressure was off as Adam clearly demonstrates he has more than enough energy to fuel the show himself regardless, and the audience was riding this enthusiastic high.

His ability to have a joke on anything, can make this personified encyclopaedia of one-liners a bit difficult to take in, as there is no real break for the audience to soak in all of the information. Although his controlled hyperactive-ness is appealing, I wouldn’t be surprised if some members in the crowd found it overwhelming. However, the room was in constant roars of laughter, and tonight’s audience seemed to all be on board for the ride.

Catch his show at the Pleasance Courtyard – Upstairs, every day at 4:45PM. His Saturday shows are sold out, so grab them whilst you can: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/adam-hess-seahorse