Garrett Millerick: The Stuff Dreams is Made of

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The unfortunate testament to Garret Millerick's knack for storytelling is that you'd probably rather watch the source of inspiration for The Stuff Dreams is Made of than the show itself. So convincingly does he recount his experiences making the documentary Mad Hot Birmingham that your mind wanders as you work out how you can track down a copy of it. 

As an hour of anecdotal standup it's engaging and cleverly structured, with Millerick assuming the role of hindsight-laden narrator. The aforementioned slice of cinéma vérité (one can only imagine) was about Birmingham City Council's attempt to use ballroom dancing as a means of social development in a deprived local school. No money for books, but money for teaching troublesome 12-year-olds to foxtrot. As the reluctant director of the piece, he uses his Fringe show to create art from adversity (despite the fact that his adversity came from trying to create art in the first place). It's a cathartic expulsion of his pent-up pain, which suits his loud stage persona. 

There are some weaker segments where he strays into observational commentary, covering topics like Amazon deliveries with a contrived bid for relatability that belies his own comic voice. He's strongest when he's in his autobiographical element, exasperated at his own mistakes (like trying to imitate Louis Theroux by filming Brummie kids doing the tango) and endeavouring to learn from them. 

It's enjoyably bleak, but there aren't quite enough laughs to elevate it beyond just an amusing story.