After a brief guest spot where he received a less than warm welcome by a vocally anti-American audience in 1999, Tom Rhodes is back in Edinburgh for his solo festival debut. Known as the “bad boy of comedy”, this is an hour of stand up that is irreverent and sometimes a little bit inappropriate but entertaining nonetheless.
Tom Rhodes has thirty years under his belt so Colossus is undoubtedly an hour of expertly written comedy from someone who knows what he’s doing.
Being one of the more traveled comedians on the circuit, Colossus can’t help but be a show with an international scope. Throughout the hour, Rhodes recounts many an amusing tale and shares colourful experiences from him touring the globe, taking the audience everywhere from Amsterdam to China.
The observations he shares are mostly dark and cynical yet his animated delivery makes the show oddly lighthearted. He has some pretty unorthodox views which he then adeptly matches with some intelligent suggestions, like what he thinks is the best way to shield buildings in the States from terrorists or how inter-racial dating can actually quash racism.
Rhodes’ confidence and boisterous energy is what makes him such a compelling comedian. Even if his brash style of comedy is not to your taste, you will find yourself still involuntarily hanging on to his every word. Occasionally there are jokes that only get the one or two laughs but this doesn’t faze him. Instead he seamlessly works it into his routine with the perfect comeback, one which I thought can only come from experience and an innate comedic sense.
Regardless of your comedic palette, Tom Rhodes has thirty years under his belt so Colossus is undoubtedly an hour of expertly written comedy from someone who knows what he’s doing. His material is diverse, edgy and can be controversial but contains plenty to laugh about too.
