Adam Hills: Mess Around

This year’s Fringe sees regular Edinburgh highlight and nicest man in standup Adam Hills pare down his show to focus on us, the audience. Hills’ improvised exchanges are an extraordinary sight to behold; having honed a sense for where the laughs in the room might happen, he infuses this process with his friendly persona, delighting the crowd and providing a truly unique evening.

The only problem with placing the audience at the centre of the show in this compere-style approach is that Hills has to work with what he’s got, which due to his TV appearances are largely Scottish locals and Australians who revel in Hills’ astute comparisons between the two. The result is a very pleasant, but quite standard, 30 minutes which tends towards national stereotypes and cliché. However, the relatively small segment of standup material, which is masterfully executed and a testament to his craft, is then warmly embraced by the crowd who by this stage feel close to Hills’ heart. 

The content of Mess Around isn’t going to challenge or provoke, but by developing the relationship between performer and audience, Hills is testing the art form while providing an undeniably charming hour of comedy. It's is a crowd pleaser in the nicest possible way.