Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: DEAD!!! (Good Fun Time), Monkey Barrel Comedy Review
Reviewed by Michael Neri for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: I’m dyslexic, so if you spot any spelling or grammar hiccups, just assume they’re part of the Fringe’s experimental spirit.
This show is exactly what the title promises — a deliriously high-energy, absurdist thrill ride that leaves you breathless, delighted, and maybe just a little bit dazed. This is a show that demands your full attention from the first manic beat to the last.
I went in with towering expectations, having seen Joe Kent-Walters’ "Frankie Monroe LIVE" at last year’s festival. As the BBC’s New Comedy Award winner, he’s got a lot of hype swirling around him — and somehow, he still manages to surpass it.
Even before the show began, the atmosphere was memorable. I found myself next to a man loudly complaining about the cold, the lighting, the noise — the sort of mood-killer you silently pray won’t ruin the evening. Yet, mere seconds after Frankie Monroe swaggered onto the stage, this grumbler was doubled over with laughter, tears streaming down his cheeks. And so were the rest of us.
This performance is relentless in the best way possible — a kaleidoscope of surreal humour, exaggerated character work, and moments so ridiculous they loop right back into brilliance. It’s overstimulating, chaotic, and masterfully controlled all at once. Kent-Walters has a knack for turning the bizarre into the irresistible, blending theatre, clowning, and pure comedic instinct into something that feels alive and unpredictable.
Watching "Frankie Monroe: DEAD!!!" feels like being strapped into a white-water raft — exhilarating, occasionally alarming, and impossible to step away from. You’re tossed from belly laughs to jaw-drops in seconds, riding waves of absurdity with no chance to catch your breath.
If you want comedy that’s more than just punchlines — that’s an experience, a spectacle, and a fever dream rolled into one — get your ticket. And buckle up.
Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: DEAD!!! (Good Fun Time) is a comedy rollercoaster of absurd genius.
Playing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival until August 24th at Monkey Barrel Comedy CabVol 1 (Cabaret Voltaire)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
