Fringe Review: Bróccán Tyzack-Carlin: GOOD NEWS! IT’S BEEN DESTROYED, Pleasance Courtyard
Bróccán Tyzack-Carlin is angry. He is very funny. And he is angry. In this rollicking hour of stand-up, weaving together spoken word, one-liners and a short PowerPoint, Tyzack-Carlin is all of us: quite angry, a bit confused and looking for hope. Uproariously funny, Good News! It’s Been Destroyed delivers a packed hour of comedy, poetry and a short, efficient takedown of Keir Starmer’s government. It’s perfect.
Tyzack-Carlin high-fives his way onto the stage, a true man of the people. He immediately turns to some short poems - or jokes, as the audience might better know them - one of which is nominated by the Telegraph as the Funniest of the Fringe. Warming the audience up nicely, Tyzack-Carlin is a charming, charismatic presence, slipping into different personas to fire out punchlines.
He is a passionate man, finding the time to call a good number of people a c*nt. But when dealing with Starmer’s government, or in fact Rylan Clark, it feels warranted and the audience are laughing in agreement. Tyzack-Carlin’s pacing is captivating, the audience hang onto every word waiting to see which direction he will pull us in next. Will it be a damnation of daytime quiz shows, or will it be a poem about how Matt Lucas has blocked him on X (or Twitter as it was at the time of the infraction)?
Tyzack-Carlin’s comedy is sharp and intelligent. It is a tour de force of blending spoken word into storytelling and circling back throughout. With subtle lighting changes emphasising his tales and the assistance of a few trusty Powerpoint slides, Tyzack-Carlin is on fire - much like his car. He is politically astute, smart and does at least some of the ranting we can all relate to, just more eloquently and with disarming wit.
Good News! It’s Been Destroyed does it all. From Tyzack-Carlin’s irreverent take on the banality of evil, all the way to The Simpsons and even fleeting moments of sincerity as he talks about his life. Tyzack-Carlin is absorbing and effortless and every part of his show shines. For a funny, riotous hour of power, politics and, of course, a touch of silliness, Below at the Pleasance is waiting for you.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Hannah Goldswain