Since he is most famous for his role in the Adam & Joe show, it’s nice to see Adam Buxton coming to Edinburgh with something a bit different – a character-based comedy show called I, Pavel.
The Pavel in question is an experimental animator from a tiny Eastern European country who has travelled to Britain in search of work but he is having difficulty finding an audience in viewers brought up on Spongebob Squarepants and Pokemon.
Buxton gives an excellent performance as Pavel (undoubtedly helped by the unwieldy beard he is sporting this year), managing to keep up the ridiculous accent throughout the entire performance. While I’m sure that this isn’t his best material in recent years, it is a brave attempt at character-based comedy and is a welcome departure from the old stand up comedy routine.
There are some fine jokes throughout the script, which don’t rely on the character to be funny and were warmly welcomed by some members of the audience who didn’t seem sure what to make of the show.
It seems like a bit of an odd choice to write a show around experimental animation, as a lot of people aren’t familiar enough with the concept to really see the humour that Buxton has. It is, however, a very strong performance, which is worth catching before the end of the festival.
4/5
Becky Stone
