A review of Colleen Lavin: Do the Robots Think I’m Funny?, Fringe 2023

Colleen Lavin was the most nervous of all the comedians I’ve seen this Fringe.

I have got a few theories why;

Colleen seems to have a tech day job; she made mention of “sprint”, and this is my day job language, and I can imagine anyone who programs in sprints might not be super keen to deal with crowds.

It was baking hot in the booth of Greenside’s Clover Studio, and no way to avoid the burning orange brand of my media/reviewer lanyard hanging around my neck. I call it the necklace of judgement.

Murderbot.

It could be a combination of all those things, but let’s talk about Murderbot.

Murderbot is the dead-eyed face of an AI Chat GPT recovering Colleen has coded to heckle her. That’s right, his Chicago-based programmer/comedian brought her nemesis to the Fringe.

If Murderbot’s AI detects a too-long pause, it concludes (he?) that Colleen’s not been funny enough, and so chips in with a heckle. The audience can boo Murderbot if we think the AI got it wrong, and the feedback goes into teaching the algorithm.

So, in recap, Colleen did bring her AI-powered heckler but also has a system where any boos from the audience become support cry for the comedian. Sneaky.

What to expect

In many ways, Colleen’s stand-up performance is a typical Fringe comedy gig. We learn about her history, family and life.

Colleen comes from a religious background and has a friendly jock for a brother. It’s almost like a stereotypical setup; frankly, it’s a pleasant surprise that Colleen is so typical.

Colleen does feel normal, by the way. She’s a friendly face and an empathic demeanour (she made us paper fans to deal with the heat of the venue), and if it weren’t for Murderbot, we’d have no idea a would-be-supervillain had come to Edinburgh. A potential supervillain, anyway.

And, sorry to say, as much as Riddles Court is usually a great venue, this tiny tower room is not their showcase sales room. It’s pokey.

Vibe and performance

I sat by the fan at the back of the room (only a few rows from the front) to stay cool, but I couldn’t hear Murderbot’s heckles. I could hear when the mean machine spoke up, but not what was said.

I could hear Colleen’s rebuttal loud and clear. In fact, Colleen squabbling with the glaring AI was when the show really sparkled.

Nerves, I suspect your radar will pick up on Colleen’s nerves as mine did, but they’re no bad thing. They reassure us that Colleen is one of us, an actual breathing, feeling human with a day job.

Colleen Lavin: Do the Robots Think I’m Funny? is well rehearsed and structured. That preparation is paramount as there’s no knockdown belter of a one-liner. Colleen’s funny, but this isn’t a rapid-fire comedy act. This is a sensible, amusing and companionable tour of the funny side of today’s weird reality.

Today, the question “Do the Robots Think I’m Funny?” is abstract, but how long will it be before venues start fitting smart assistant speakers and piping in the audio from gigs? How long until an AI helps big media find the best joke of the Fringe?

It’s the weird-funny and haha-funny of Murderbot that helps Colleen Lavin: Do the Robots Think I’m Funny? be a thing.

I’m interested! Had we not overrun and been chased out, I would have lingered to chat Chat GPT with Colleen.

Overall

Colleen Lavin: Do the Robots Think I’m Funny? is a comedy show with a gimmick. That gimmick is Murderbot, and if all goes well, Murderbot rarely speaks.

Colleen found a topic that really interested me here, and therefore I rather like Colleen Lavin: Do the Robots Think I’m Funny? But you might not if you can’t tell your Java from your JavaScript.