| 06 August 2011
With a messy, boyish haircut and a blue polo, Elis James looks every part the middle-class boy from Wales. Early into his show, however, he makes sure to draw the distinction between owning his image and being defined by it. He knows the boxes into which the world may want to place him and, armed with boundless energy and an equally sharp wit, he knows just how to break out of them.
"Well, strap in, motherf***rs!” James shouts mid-show with an infectiously exuberant grin, a moment of humour that is clearly unscripted and thus exponentially more charming. Perhaps his biggest strength lies in the critical ability to shape the mundane into the mesmerizing, stretching three-second moments in time into hysterical and riveting play-by-plays. Indeed, despite his age and humble demeanor, James possesses a considerable amount of cunning comic dexterity that makes him more ready for the world of stand-up than maybe even he realizes at this point.
Still, it is James’ ability to create a distinct atmosphere that really makes this show one to see. If the streets of Edinburgh have made you feel trapped in a boozy pack of sardines, an hour in an attic with fifty strangers might seem like a reasonably risky venture. James, however, more than compensates for his sticky surroundings, embracing the room’s equalizing energy so genuinely that, by this show’s end, the audience evidently felt so uplifted that grown men descended the stairs in song. It doesn’t matter if you bring a pint or a friend; James will ensure that no matter what—just trust me—you’ll leave with the extra little Wham! in your heart you never knew you’d been missing.
Elis James: Do You Remember the First Time?, Pleasance Courtyard, 6-29 August, 8:15 pm
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