George Zacharopoulos is a very, very funny man. Few comedians can take subject matters an audience will have varying views on, and make them all laugh. Yet, George can.
His show is precisely as described on his flyers this year: ‘A show about love, sex and fear of death.’ Those who don’t appreciate blue comedy should still come along. George’s ‘sexy’ comedy isn’t of the nuts and bolts type. Vivid, opinionated and a bit c*m-stained, yes, but Billy Connolly has been delighting the masses with more detail for decades.
George can also make racism funny and inclusive.
Whilst I wouldn’t make all of his life choices, George is also just so darn likeable! He owns his flaws and sticks to his guns. George’s liberal approach to drugs, for example, isn’t for me, but I’m more than happy to hear of his crazy adventures when in an altered state of mind. His misadventures with fellow comedian Rory Lowe down under are the stuff legends are made of.
“You think George has made a joke which was quite funny, only to realise it was just setting you up for a hilarious call-back 5, 10, or 20 minutes later.”
However, ‘Greek in the Sheets’ isn’t some sort of formless gag-fest, this is a tightly planned, and cleverly thought-out set. You think George has made a joke which was quite funny, only to realise it was just setting you up for a hilarious call-back 5, 10, or 20 minutes later. His crowdwork is so genuine it’s heartwarming – he likes people.
George also knows how to own bits of his set an audience isn’t going for. He does this by pointing at it and explaining he’s going to do it anyway and promising you will find it funny eventually. He is, I suspect, correct in 95% of cases.
In this show, as opposed to last year’s perfect Wonderland, I wasn’t entirely convinced by his big finish. It’s thematically on point, and he goes for it with all guns blazing. Is the payoff quite enough to justify the effort? Not quite, but it’s still good.
Otherwise, George remains one of the best comedians you’ll see at the Fringe. Other comedians are clever, other comedians are funny. George is both (though some of his life choices may make you doubt the clever part.)
Show Details
Venue: Just The Tonic Legends – Just the Tonic at The Subway
Dates: Aug 2-11, 13-17, 19-25
Showtimes: 18:05
Running Time: 1 hour
Age Recommendation: 18+
Price: From £8
Accessibility
Interested in accessibility? The performance space, ‘Just the Tonic at The Subway’, is not wheelchair accessible.
The venue, ‘Just The Tonic Legends’, has provided the following accessibility information: ”.
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