Type and hit ENTER

Commonly used tags...

Brighton Festival Brighton Fringe Brighton Pride British Sea Power Cinecity Lewes Psychedelic Festival Locally Sourced Lost & Found Love Supreme Festival Mutations Festival Nick Cave Poets Vs MCs Politics Rag'n'Bone Man Record Store Day Save Our Venues Six Of The Best Source Virgins Streets Of Brighton Street Source Tattoos The Great Escape Tru Thoughts Unsung Heroes
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Advertise
Reviews

Brighton Fringe Review: Barry Loves You

May 8, 2018
-
Posted by Peter James Field

Barry Ferns jumps onto the stage at the Komedia studio, jittery yet boundlessly enthusiastic. “This is the first time this show has been performed anywhere!” he announces gleefully, before launching into a fast-paced one hour comedic monologue.

Ferns’s previous show ‘The Barry Experience’ examined how the names we are given at birth affect our lives and our perceptions of others. For this new show, he broadens the scope to language in general, questioning how any of us, trapped alone in what he describes as ‘meat prisons’, can ever truly communicate.

Ferns is a key figure in the London comedy world, having helped set up Angel Comedy, originally a one night a week event which now occupies two London venues (The Camden Head and The Bill Murray) seven nights a week all year round. He is a vocation comic, passionate in his zeal for stand-up. All things considered then, it seems a shame he isn’t already a household name, though it’s rather nice for us to still (for now at least) enjoy the spectacle of a comedian of this calibre in such a small room.

Ferns is an engagingly self-deprecating yet confident guide, steering us through a show full of strong laughs built around personal anecdotes (nothing political here tonight, thankfully). Having opened the show with a brief mention of his mother, he saves a narrative sucker punch for the final moments, as he relates a frankly heartbreaking piece of family history which calls back to earlier moments in the show and forces us all, collectively, to reassess what we’ve heard so far. In a show about communication, it’s a masterful way to bring this warm, heartfelt performance to a close.

Komedia, Monday 7th May 2018

Brighton Fringe
May 8, 2018
Email
Peter James Field
Peter did a degree in world art history and anthropology, before spending three years in the Japanese countryside teaching English at village schools. For the past eleven years he has worked as a freelance illustrator.
← PREVIOUS POST
Brighton Fringe Review: Brodi Snook
NEXT POST →
Brighton Fringe Review: Louise Reay
Mailing List

Recent Posts
  • Great Escape 2025 Day 4 Review
    Jun 13, 2025

    Day 4 started with a party whistle thrash punk Extravaganza and ended with the glorious debut of Post Common. We love you TGE.

  • Great Escape 2025 Day 3 Review
    Jun 9, 2025

    One of the real joys of the Great Escape is you can often see the bands that really grab you more than once. Day 3 delivered.

  • Great Escape 2025 Day 2 Review
    Jun 7, 2025

    Day 2 provided a diverse range of acts. Within 30 minutes we went from beautiful Australian folk to riotous Korean DnB and that was before tea time!

  • The Girl On The Train Review
    Jun 7, 2025

    A fantastic adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ bestselling novel which is a beautiful balance of acting, theatricality and gritty story telling.

  • Great Escape 2025 Day 1 Review
    Jun 6, 2025

    No longer just a day for getting your wrist band; some serious heavy hitters were brought out for a cracking day one.

  • Winnie The Pooh Review
    Jun 2, 2025

    A delightful venture into the 100 acre wood with Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh and their friends: full of wonder, innocence and charm.

  • Lower Slaughter Return With New Album And Headline Show
    May 30, 2025

    New line up! New Album! New Show! Same heavy heavy monster riffs. Winner.

  • Delightfully Dark Review
    May 30, 2025

    A fresh and hilariously funny one man cabaret show about the absurdity of death, living a finite existence and embracing life in all its imperfections.

Website developed in Brighton by Infobo
Copyright © Brighton Source 2009-2023
Brighton Fringe Review: Barry Loves You - Brighton Source