Northern Ireland comedian Paul Currie is set to make his return to the Edinburgh Fringe with a series of shows including an all-ages Release The Baboons and the definitely not for kids Trufficle Musk.
Acclaimed by reviewers and audiences alike Paul’s shows come with a clear warning – you will be involved in his immersive strand of comedy.
“Don’t bother sitting at the back and think you’ll not be involved,” he said. “You can’t hide from me when I’m in full flow, because I’ll find you, make you laugh and see what else you’ll end up doing.”
The Edinburgh Fringe runs from August 2 to 29, with Paul playing dates on most evenings.
It will be Paul’s eighth time at the Fringe, and with his perseverance he has gradually been attracting larger audiences and is set to have more lapping up his act.
Trufficle Musk, running at Heroes @ The Hive, is one that will see him confront any audience’s conceptions – even the official Fringe website warns: “Audience participation, contains distressing themes, nudity, strong language/swearing”.
Those new to Paul’s comedy won’t be ‘thrown in the deep end’, but within minutes the full blown absurdity of life in the 21st Century will be thrust into the mix.
“I try to get everybody up on their feet and be aware of everybody in the room. – literally turn around and look at everybody,” he explained.
“Be aware of everybody else in the room. Because that’s what we do with phones, we just sit with our face stuck directly into the phone, and we’re not aware of anybody else sitting in the room. look at everything. And that’s what we’ve stopped doing. We’ve got tunnel vision.”
Audiences can expect Paul to be also having a lot of fun, with many “clowning elements”.
“There’s going to be a very immersive component with me and in the audience as well, too. And literally don’t sit anywhere, don’t come to the venue, if you don’t want to get involved. Because everyone’s going to get involved. It doesn’t matter if you’re at the front. Probably worse if you’re at the back, to be honest.”
Paul’s other show at Heroes @ Boteco – Release The Baboons is, however, suitable for children from eight years-old and up, as well as adults. It features puppets – and is designed to help beat the fears many children and adults have of clowns and puppets with an anarchic mix of laughter and participation.
To book Trufficle Musk or Release The Baboons go to edfringe.com or check out Paul Currie on Facebook and Instagram. #PaulCurrieLive #EdFringe