Will Duggan: A Man Gathering Fish

As Will Duggan points out, Will Duggan looks like a comedian. He is, after all, a straight white male in his twenties. But while other young comedians wear their plaid and jeans like a wolf wears a woolly jumper—naked ambition in t-shirts and trainers—Duggan appears to be that rarest of things, a nice guy. It’s that humanity that lifts the lightly cynical observations in A Man Gathering Fish – even when he’s not hilarious, you’re always glad you came. 

From stories about teaching autistic teenagers to pub trivia to his various faltering career paths, there’s a focus on finding the joy in moments rather than just the punch line. When he loses his train of thought, he has a habit of referring to his show in terms of the hopes and dreams (and money) he’s invested in it. Actually being likable really helps an audience to like you, and the only faltering moments are when the material slips into spikier territory.

This is all the more impressive when Duggan reveals he’s personally facing down a dark future, then moves on. Many others would have been tempted to make this the centre of the act, but he mostly avoids the strained themes that derail many Fringe sets.

Mostly. He does bookend the show with discussion of Michelangelo’s horse—the one that’s hiding inside the marble, waiting for the rest of the block to be removed—as a metaphor for his comedy. This doesn’t seem the right fit. A Man Gathering Fish doesn't chip away the small moments, it highlights them.