Jimmy Hogg is a master. And yes, I do mean that in a mildly kinky — and entirely pleasurable — way. Hogg’s delivery in the stand-up/storytelling of The Potato King is almost furiously energetic. He rants, he yells. He gets your attention. And he goes on hilariously relentless rhythmic riffs, repeating variations on phrases like “And then … Get this”, until you’re hysterical, like you’re being tickled by a very nice guy who just won’t stop. He’s a master of delivery and there’s a helpless pleasure in giving yourself over to him. Then there’s the content, the audacious, associative storytelling. The Potato King, which draws on Hogg’s real-life experiences in at least some instances, is about his character’s search for The One, the romantic partner who will actually make sense with him. In each of his anecdotes, Hogg leans into clown-like irrationality and innocence, consumed with outrage when a girlfriend’s grandparents disparage the cuisine of his native England, endearingly out of his depth when he follows another girlfriend to a sex party. Hogg is blissfully, bracingly unafraid of transgression, which is the driving force of so much comedy. And he finesses his work with a deep understanding of the rich satisfactions of story structure and surprise. A whole lot of The Potato King is about food. It’s weird. And it pays off. Jimmy Hogg knows what he’s doing.
At the Vancouver Fringe Festival. Remaining performances at Off the Tracks: September 6, 6:00 pm; September 7, 10:30 pm; September 8, 9:00 pm; September 9, 10:30 pm.; September 11, 6:00 pm; September 13, 7:30 pm; September 14, 6:00 pm. Tickets
(Photo by Alan Compton)
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