“You know what this show doesn’t need? Momentum,” muses Elliot Steel as yet another patron crosses the floor to use the facilities during the show, before wondering whether he should call an interval – in an hour-long show – to allow everyone to have a toilet break en masse. At almost any other Fringe show this might have been considered more than a little passive-aggressive, but do bear in mind this is someone who has been talking about his father Mark being treated for throat cancer (I liked a punchline about his dad having a lump in his throat, even if other people groaned), as well as breaking up with his girlfriend. He is also irritated at Rishi Sunak, and while this in itself doesn’t exactly put him in a minority, the snap general election and its almost inevitable result forced a substantial rewrite of his Fringe 2024 show.
Well, at least we didn’t have to listen to twenty minutes (or however long the discarded section was) of material about the (previous) incompetent government. He expresses displeasure at the National Health Service, in contrast to many comedians who are full of praise for those who work for it. Mark was told over the phone he needed to attend an in-person appointment for a cancer diagnosis. Cue his son on a stage at the Edinburgh Fringe the following year ripping to shreds the illogicality of the call. (Years ago, I had a phone call from the NHS demanding I attend an appointment, but they wouldn’t tell me why, but they insisted I had to go. When I got there, they hadn’t told the doctor why I was there either. But back to Elliot…)
There’s some familiar ground with regards to old school masculinity, which still very much exists and is largely emotionless, with the notable exception of anger. He does have a support group of sorts, inasmuch as a mixed martial arts club he’s a member of can facilitate. He still lives at home, but such a tumultuous year (as if the pandemic that preceded it wasn’t bad enough) has forced him into revealing a vulnerability that he perhaps didn’t know he even had. You could hear a pin drop when Steel spoke with genuine sincerity about the possibility of losing his father to cancer. Part comedy set, part confessional, it was a cathartic and classy experience.
Review by Chris Omaweng
Following his sold out, highly acclaimed Edinburgh run last year, Elliot Steel returns with his best show to date Soft Boi Core. Elliot is on blistering form right now, as he looks back on the worst year of his life so far. He has recently gone through incredibly tough times with his Dad – who has cancer, whilst also going through a relationship break up and losing an important MMA match. All subjects very close to his heart. He’ll be looking at masculinity, stoicism and the continuing influence of Andrew Tate.
ELLIOT STEEL: SOFT BOI CORE
Underbelly Bristo Square at the Edinburgh Fringe
31 July to 25 August 2024
Shows and events booking now for Edinburgh Playhouse and for King’s Theatre Glasgow.
