Review by Dominic Corr
Chess and comedy.
Not the two ‘C’ words you would slot side-by-side at the Festival Fringe, but far odder set-ups have occurred. In truth, the crux of North Macedonian comic Vlad Ilich’s Fringe debut is rather brilliant: a mash-up of their love for chess, with a heartfelt and honest routine around their family, upbringing, and the outbreak of war, all held together with an hour of laughter and insight.
Rising through the ranks of a local chess club, fending off his relatives, until he meets the opponent, he can’t quick beat; his father, it all comes to a halt when war breaks out. The board is ready, the players in place, and the game is set. But Ilich isn’t quite so ready. Bouncing with energy, half-nervous and the other of very tangible excitement, Ilich’s Fringe outing is a celebratory one which has the structure down as they engage in audience pre-amble. It’s pleasant and takes dips into dark humour but feels forced where participants aren’t entirely on Ilich’s energy level. The chess metaphors and story elements should be more of a focus, leading their way into punchlines or tangents in setup. And this is Ilich’s intention – but occasionally loses their way in communicating it.
Ilich’s chatter with the audience is quite standard for a comic, but their experiences of coming to the UK offer a real killer sense of humour, and refreshing angle for well-tread steps from other comics. The political satire is sharp, too sharp, but necessarily so. It draws attention to how few in the audience are familiar with the Balkans conflicts surrounding NATO’s role in the former Yugoslavia’s break-apart.
A genius conceptual routine, for an evidently gifted comic, the pre-amble surrounding the weight of Ilich’s material is what lets the real punch of the material hit through – fears that the darker gags might turn audiences away. The manoeuvres and the lack of keeping the audience on their toes make for a stand-up experience which has lashings of potential, skittered around with a nervous and rushed energy. Threading the humour into the audience interactions and anecdotes about growing up, with a clearer direction and breathing space, Vladislav Baby Don’t Hurt Me has the potential to a terrific debut performance.
A Genius Concept
Vlad Ilich: Vladislav, Baby Don’t Hurt Me runs at the Pleasance Courtyard until August 26th.
Running time; Sixty minutes without interval
Review by Dominic Corr (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Editor for Corr Blimey, and a freelance critic for Scottish publications, Dominic has been writing freelance for several established and respected publications such as BBC Radio Scotland, The List, The Skinny, Edinburgh Festival Magazine, The Reviews Hub, In Their Own League, and The Wee Review. As of 2023, he is a member of the Critic’s Award for Theatre Scotland (CATS) and a member of the UK Film Critics.
