Inspired by the slippery slide into insanity that comes with late-night writing, Night Owl is a show that revels in silliness. With assistance from script editor Grace Beckett, Footlight Andy Bucks seamlessly fuses previous work with new material into a nonstop hour of comedy that left us cawing for more. On a stage cluttered with objects from another production, he played technical difficulties to his advantage, setting a tone in which hiccups were welcome, no one took themselves too seriously, and which slowly morphed into a running joke between the audience and performer.

“The fledgling comedian has a way of making everyone in the room comfortable with laughing both at and with him”

Quickly engaging the audience, Andy Bucks was self-apologetic in the way that only a confident performer can dare to be. With talks of compromises, venue sharing, poster misprints and technological failings, the show was instantly personal and personalised. The fledgling comedian has a way of making everyone in the room comfortable with laughing both at and with him. This wasn’t the first time I’d seen him perform—scattered throughout were jokes that I was delighted to revisit, though improved, from a Smoker last May where he had somehow managed to stand out among the terrors of livestreaming.

Fine-tuned and always alert, Bucks’ humour consistently, and rather delightfully, catches you unawares. Reminiscent of James Acaster, he nevertheless quickly escapes comparison through a voice that is entirely his own. Intelligent material flashes with immature delights—the show flies from the perils of Gmail to the absurdity of the modern pentathlon, to sexy cows and Father Christmas’ take on euthanasia. His set-ups are exactly the kind of fantastic that make you angry that you didn’t come up with them first. My biggest gripe is that he was only there for one night. Without straying into whimsy, Bucks maintained an unusual yet familiar feel—recognisable themes were given a fresh twist and the use of projections, video and music allowed for a theatre experience which will remain vivid in my mind months after the show.

“Declan Boyd’s lighting operation and slightly absurd sound design provided punctuation for both the audience and performer”

Rafaela Losito’s gorgeous publicity design lets you know just what you’re in for: well-polished, a whole lot of weird, and a guaranteed hoot of a time. Declan Boyd’s lighting operation and slightly absurd sound design provided punctuation for both the audience and performer, helping maintain energy throughout the hour runtime, even through an almost-too-long-but-not-quite costume change. I particularly enjoyed his use of pre-recorded material in his undercover foray into the world of business and his far-from ideal alarm system.

Andy Bucks is at his best when finding the absurd in the mundane, and allowing his life to be a part of this absurdity. Some transitions felt unexpected but gave the show a stop-and-go feel which only mirrored the late-night musings of a deranged mind. Even his heckles came in an uncommon manner, from audience members who were simply laughing too much. All in all, the show provided exactly what it said on the tin—an evening of chuckles and sore cheeks, with the type of anecdotes you can’t wait to get home to tell your friends.

He didn’t overstay his welcome. I’m not sure he could, even if he tried.

Night Owl (but not a wise one, just stupid) played at the Corpus Playroom at 9:30pm on the 25th October 2021. A new version, called How Not to Owl will be playing at the Edinbrugh fringe from 22 - 27th of August 2022.