John Robertson: A Nifty History of Evil

If you happen to be near the Cowgate at 22:45 and fancy a free laugh then I’d recommend popping into Bar50, or Smart City Hostels as it appears to be named outside, and checking out John Robertson’s inventive show, “A Nifty History of Evil”. Naturally off the cuff, Robertson certainly seems to find it difficult to stick to his script, but this only makes for a far more spontaneous and witty spectacle.

Clad in leather trousers and tight corset combo, but still bounding around like a child on his seventh birthday, one could be forgiven for not finding Robertson particularly ‘evil’. His ever so fresh face still beams through his suitably wolverine hair and side burns, and even after two weeks of shows his strong Australian voice tells of just how excited he is to be here.

As suggested in his title, Robertson planned on using his hour’s slot to outline some highlights in humankind’s long history of evil. We got off to a cracking start, though probably only covered the first two items on his list before the plot started to splutter and weave. The focus began to centre much more on audience members themselves and although this was admittedly fairly funny, it did become tiresome after the first fifteen minutes. It is worth noting that this tangent could perhaps be due to Robertson having taken and downed two pints from some stunned men in the front row earlier in the show (accompanied by a shocked intake of breath from the audience and followed by his own wicked laughter. I was nervous a fight might ensue but luckily he’s one downright charming Australian). 

The show was broken up with various twee, ukulele accompanied songs which helped to bring the plot back on track. My favourite of these cheery tunes was a singalong about Stalin, where Robertson attempts to brain wash his entire audience.
Although not being particularly overwhelmed by the evilness of Robertson’s act, it still made me laugh. Unlike other cheap-joke comedians, rest assured that if he picks on you he’ll be pretty damn nice about it.

Reviewed by Sophie Beeston 19/08/10
 

A Nifty History Of Evil
Bar50 (Smart City Hostels)
22:45 7th-28th August