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Paul Savage: Hopes Under the Hammer - Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024 (UK)
Reviewed by Amber Spooner
Season: Aug 8-11, 14-25
Just the Tonic at The Caves
Country: England
Suitability: 18+ (restricted)
Warnings and Additional Information: Strong language/swearing
5 STARS
Paul Savage is voicing what we all know to be true: renting in Britain is terrible. With dodgy landlords and sky high prices it’s one of those ‘if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry’ situations. An ode to the stories we sometimes hear that are shocking and more often that not, rage inducing. Fortunately for us, Savage has many anecdotes of unreasonable housemates, bin schedules, letting agents (or is it estate agents?) and having to move back in with your parents that keep us all laughing.
His stories of living on a houseboat are relatable. Living on a houseboat is becoming more popular amongst the British public particularly as housing prices soar. Unfortunately, just because it’s more affordable (in theory) doesn’t mean it’s the perfect solution. As Savage outlines, living basically in a medium sized hallway has its downsides. The constant repairs, being able to see your toilet from the kitchen, having to move every two weeks is challenging and for many not viable. Not viable for Savage either who ended up selling his boat on Gumtree.
It is clear that Savage is a seasoned comedian, being not afraid to try different accents and make cultural references (eg. Jack Daniel’s advertisements) to gauge what his audience responds to. Some of the content did feel a little off topic for a show about housing but provides an interesting perspective into the inner workings of Savage.
Savage deals well with an intimate audience, knowing what works and what doesn’t. It feels as though he fine tunes his comedy each night depending on what his audiences want. He doesn’t focus too much on one person and is seamlessly able to test out different jokes to see which one lands with that nights' audience. He is proof that you don’t need to be a shock comedian in order to be funny.
The stage set up is simple, with no flashy special effects. After spending many an hour putting together a playlist that didn’t work, Savage's solution was to do all the voices and effects himself which ultimately worked in his favour. It was impressive to see the range and breadth of Savage’s skill set. His comedy is fined tuned as is his talent as an illustrator. Audiences were handed a comic book and some stickers post show, which was a nice memento to finish off the evening.
It’s clear that ‘Hopes Under the Hammer’ is a very well rehearsed, tested comedy show and Savage knows and understands his audience well. This isn’t one to miss. It’s full of laughs, even if we’re all still bitter about the housing market.
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