Comedy Festival 2018: Third course stands out in Best of the Edinburgh Fest ★★★

AN easily digestible smorgasbord of the up-and-comers from the Edinburgh Festival that covers the dark, the silly, the cringeworthy and the deep.

LIKE a picnic lunch, the more options on the table the higher the chance that at some point you will find something to sate your appetite. And if one bite falls flat, the next flavour is only a moment away.

Alifie Brown in Best of the Edinburgh Fest.

John Hastings in Best of the Edinburgh Fest.

And this was the case with this line-up. It delivered laughs — not with every comic, for everybody — but at some point gave laughs for each in the audience.

GILLIAN COSGRIFF: MASTER OF CRACKER-JACK CABARET ON SONG

MEL BUTTLE: GOING TO SEE A WOMAN ABOUT A DOG

UK comedian Alfie Brown kicked off the show with fast-paced and energetic observational comedy, that was heavily sexualised.

Next up, Kwame Asante — a doctor when he’s not on stage — nudged the metronome back to strolling pace. He charmed the audience with his tales of daily racism and life on the hospital ward, all delivered in a laidback, reflective tone.

LARRY DEAN: LURID SCOT’S HILARITY PACKS A PUNCH

GUY MONTGOMERY: STAGE A HAVEN FOR A DIGITAL DETOX

Last course was the best. The deep, low voice of Canadian John Hastings hooked the audience in from his opening words. His clever concoction of Millennials, Baby Boomers and Gen X all banding together as the next super power, was the thread throughout. His relationship with the audience only strengthened when he swayed into unscripted banter with the audience, to see the show finish on a high.

Alfie Brown, Kwame Asante and John Hastings, Best of the Edinburgh Fest

ACMI, Federation Square, until April 22.

comedyfestival.com.au

Kwame Asante in Best of the Edinburgh Fest.