A review of Alasdair Beckett-King: Nevermore, Fringe 2022

It’s good that I didn’t book myself in to see Alasdair Beckett-King’s Nevermore as a way to support Scottish acts.

To my surprise, this comedian, who I knew nothing about previously, turns out to be only half-Scottish and identifies as English.

I can’t honestly remember why I booked. I spent a chunk of this week walking by Nevermore posters and thinking, “that looks good – should I book” only then to be pleased to rediscover that I had actually been booked in all along.

Whatever my motivations for booking had been – Current Me thanks Previous Me – because it was a great idea. Next year, I’m going to hunt out Beckett-King’s show and book tickets as early as possible.

I had an absolute hoot in the sweltering heat of the JackDome, and I ignored the baking lights to laugh and laugh.

An early word of warning, though; Nevermore is running at different locations; double-check you go to the right one. As I filed out, I overheard two people who had missed the show because they went to the Pleasance instead.

Nevermore

I saw two acts on Saturday, and both used presentations. Beckett-King first surprised the audience by waiting for them in a deckchair as we filed in and then by enhancing the show with some video clips.

And yes, I insist, the video makes all the difference. For a start, it allowed King to play two people at once, talking to himself. It also allowed him to show rather than just tell. It’s worth it. Purists can get in the sea.

Nevermore finds time to talk about Alasdair at school, his job managing a death trap as a teenager and how that influenced the Celtic-haired man we laugh with today.

I hope it’s not too much of a spoiler to praise the foreshadowing and layering of the jokes. It all smacks of clever writing, and I hope that Beckett-King isn’t too much of a tortured genius.

If you’re in the JackDome, I recommend sitting on the right of the staggered chairs as that’s the side the air conditioning is on.

Overall

Nevermore is clever, but you must stop laughing long enough to realise that.

Alasdair Beckett-King weaves a wonderfully layered series of stories with a comedy giant’s expert observation, timing and delivery. We can only hope that he makes the Edinburgh Fringe a stalwart and a constant part of his success for years to come.