Pleasance Courtyard
Live performance is one of the best forms of escapism. This rule is perpetuated by Thor Stenhaug’s debut, One Night Stand Baby, an effortlessly funny and clever hour of the purest form of comedy. It’s just a very solid hour of good humour and exquisite comedic craftsmanship that should be on everyone’s list this Fringe.
This show is based in an anecdotal structure as Stenhaug talks about his childhood, family, the culture shock in coming to the UK and what it means to be raised on sitcoms, mixing in some observational comedy to produce an incredibly light-hearted hour. One Night Stand Baby is essentially a showcase in the quality of jokes that can be produced on pure wit alone.
Stenhaug is an incredibly charismatic performer and part of that is in the way that he noticeably performs to everyone in the room, taking the time to direct his attention at specific people rather than the audience in general. His charm, warmth, congenial and upbeat demeanour buoys his comedy and performance, contributing to the overall enjoyment of the hour. Instead of delivering a monologue, he tells a story, quickly winning us over with some rapid-fire jokes before releasing a steady stream and pace of comedy. In doing so, Stenhaug creates a kind of bubble within this hour that blocks out everything else and completely immerses us in the hour. He is very engaging to the point where the only thing we can think about is what is in front of us, what Stenhaug is saying in the moment, a complete break with reality that means that nothing else exists for us apart from the show for its duration. It’s joke after joke after joke told by someone who immediately becomes everyone’s friend and the context of the stand-up show melts away into something far loss formal.
”a very solid hour of good humour and exquisite comedic craftsmanship“
It’s a very regimented and exact hour of stand-up that flows extremely well, a feeling that speaks to Stenhaug’s capability as a performer. One Night Snead Baby is probably one of the most meticulously crafted hours, because as much as Stenhaug probes topics and jokes to their fullest extent, there’s an almost Goldilocks effect taking place where it doesn’t feel like he’s spending too long or too little on a particular joke, gag or anecdote. Stenhaug doesn’t waste a word or a moment, every punchline is straight and to the point, landing perfectly to hit its intended mark, a remarkable success rate. To say it’s mechanical would undermine the congeniality, heart and effortlessness of the hilarity that is imbued into each joke, but Stenhaug has competently and carefully employed certain mechanics to ensure the enjoyability and comedy, because what else could explain the level of perfectionism that has been achieved? Of course it’s all deliberate, but there’s certain control and care that makes itself known in every aspect of the material and that ensures that every joke Stenhaug makes lands as is intended. He clearly has a natural understanding and ability to craft comedy, that much is for certain.
One Night Stand Baby is an example of really good comedy, pure and simple, far surpassing the average requirement for a stand-up show. If this is what Stenhaug can write as a debut hour, it’s not completely outlandish to assert that indubitably he will go far.
By Katerina Partolina Schwartz
Photo Credit: Rebecca Need-Menear
Pepper & Salt 
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