Edinburgh Festival Fringe REVIEW – David Morgan, Pretty ****

David Morgan is not performing at the Underbelly in the Cowgate, nor is he in the big upside down cow.  To find him, you want to go round the corner from Bristo Square in the direction of the Meadows, onto Teviot Place and through the archway to the old Medical Building.  I tell you this in the spirit of helpfulness, and we will not go into details on how long it took me to work this out.

Chatting to people as they enter the sweatbox that is called ‘Daisy’ during August, Morgan comes across as a really nice, albeit slightly nerdy guy.  ‘I nearly cancelled tonight’s show when I found out that they were announcing the new Doctor at the same time,’ he claims, before launching into a painfully accurate description of a night out in the Hive (‘I felt about 311!’).  He gets the audience on side instantly with his easy, conversational style; as Chortle put it, it’s impossible not to like him.

‘Pretty’ consists of Morgan exploring what it means to him to be seen as physically attractive – through anecdotal evidence, audience interaction and an impressive collection of TLC references.  He chats about the insecurities everyone has about the way they look, and about the way relationships impact confidence and self-image.  The comedy comes from recognising and identifying with Morgan’s often self-deprecating stories and his reactions to similar ones from audience members.  He is fascinated by how people’s relationships start and finish, and he’s not afraid to ask.  N.B. this is a small room, so sitting at the back will not protect you!  Having said that, he isn’t shy about describing his own experiences – his reaction to being broken up with is hilarious, as is his subsequent attempt at chatting someone up whilst on the rebound.

Friendly and candid in his discussion of everything from Heatworld to Eurovision, and from Grindr to Disney, many of the cultural references will resonate particularly with people in their late twenties and thirties (Dawson’s Creek, anyone?), whilst the riff on your special ‘photo face’ obviously rang true with a lot of audience members.  Meanwhile, the ramifications meeting online or through certain apps may have on your relationship in the future provided some real food for thought…

Go and see if: you’re feeling unpretty.  David will cheer you up, or at least sort you out with some PhotoShop advice.

Date: 31st July – 25th August
Venue: Underbelly: Daisy
Time: 7.00pm
Tickets: Previews: £6.00 Weekdays £9.00/ £8.00 Weekends £10.00 £9.00, available from the Fringe Box Office