A review of John Robertson: Excitable Boy! Fringe 2026

I’ve heard good things about John Robertson. People queued early to make sure they got into this free show. That made me even more keen to find out what this show would be like. He didn’t disappoint, this was a chaotically entertaining hour!

At the start he high fived and hyped up crowd. And quickly informed us that he’s so loud that he doesn’t need microphone. He doesn’t use it for most of the show, his voice can carry enough to fill the room and his boundless energy is really fun.  

Equal Opportunity Roasting

There is plenty of risqué humour, so this is not for the faint of heart but for those, like myself, who appreciate that kind of humour, this show is a good laugh!  

John Robertson takes crowd work to the next level. There is ruthless roasting but he also manages to balance on the line where it does not feel mean spirited. He isn’t afraid to take the piss out of of himself too!

But be warned, if you try to avoid his gaze, that will just magnetise his attention to you!  

He had a field day when an audience member appeared to briefly fall asleep. (No idea how with such a booming voice) But as he pointed out, it’s nice that she was so comfortable. 

Excitable Boy

The title is apt as John is absolutely bursting with energy and it really adds to the entertainment factor of this show. He climbed on chairs, ran around, it was all very fun!

He even managed to get laughs out of the fact audience members were nipping in and out of the side door to the bar. These were the kind of jokes that could have fallen flat in less capable hands. But John Robertson is very capable and good at what he does.

The only times he used a microphone was in tandem with playing an electric ukulele. Some of this was improvised which further showed John’s talent for this.

Chaotic Energy

There were mischievous audience members the night I went. John knew how to lean into this and use it to his advantage for more laughs and some running jokes.

This is a great free show that I would recommend for anyone looking for a good laugh who isn’t afraid to be pointed at during crowd work. John Robertson puts on a really fun and chaotic show!