Comedy review: Sam Simmons - Problems

THIS man's Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nomination obviously got lost in the post because as debuts go, this is a stormer.  This is the comedy of weird, of puzzlement, of endearing eccentricity, and it is glorious.  I imagine if Harry Hill ever did a gig stoned, this is  what it would be like.

Simmons is wonderfully excited by tiny things – tiny abseiling Lego dudes, subliminal cats and telling whether things are ‘wood’ or ‘not wood’.  He opens up a sort of wonderland on-stage.  Much of his show has been found down the back of a sofa (including himself)  and he has helpfully documented many of those things on a flip chart.  In case we have never heard of him, he also takes us through his entire life story in three minutes, including his run ins with the Tooth Fairy, calculator sex and a degree in zoology. 

Almost the entire show is played against a recorded soundtrack which he only occasionally switches off in case it is making things ‘weird’ for us.  The show’s central theme is Problems, and both Simmons' life and his handy flip chart are full of them. Add to this a terrific singing voice, bread shoes, a love of cardboard, a taste for mothballs and  an Obligatory Story Montage and you have one of the most entertaining and fascinating hours I have had this August. PS he also does jokes.

Gilded Balloon Teviot (venue 14)