Fringe 2018 review: Garrett Millerick ★★★
A thoughtful hour from Garrett Millerick but one of two parts
Garrett Millerick can’t help his unsunny disposition. He’s a natural grump, even with the best of intentions to make a happy, frothy show named after his favourite Beach Boys album. However, from his grumpiness comes a mine of humour which addresses the question ‘is there anything you’re not allowed to joke about?’
It’s a thoughtful hour which keeps the audience on their toes by challenging expectations of humour and offence in a woke world and by Millerick’s recounting of his wife’s near-death experience. A self-professed ‘professional time waster’, Millerick proves laughter is the best medicine by providing much-needed comic relief to his wife after her ordeal.
Outside the pathos of Sunflower, the highlight is a discussion of a poor 90s pop star falling on hard times and imagining the contents of his cellar. However, this is a show which understandably, given the family events he speaks about, is of two parts. And the original straightforward stand-up set contrasts with the rest; the seam is a little too visible as it turns to the through-line.
Filed under: Press, Review, Sunflower