Review by Annie Aslett
Pleasance - Beside; Tickets
TikTok star Henry Rowley is self-aware enough to recognize that his audience has only come because of his popularity on the content-sharing platform. His challenge: prove that he can be funny for longer than a minute.
Just Literally is essentially long-form TikTok, a series of sketches tenuously linked by Rowley trying to answer the question, "Why am I like this?". Luckily, Rowley is a fantastically energetic performer with enough solid sketch ideas that this hour passes in a flash (now you see why it's easy to get sucked into the TikTok black hole).
Having dipped his toe into live comedy during last year's Knock Knock, which brought together four TikTok stars to try their hands at stand-up, Rowley has risen to the challenge of putting together his solo debut with confidence. With sketches ranging from awkward first dates to the tranquillity of the ladies' bathroom, Rowley's style is idiosyncratic enough that these fairly generic topics feel fresh. Rowley even ventures into the absurd with his flight attendant sketch, helped along by his ability to laugh at himself. Those aware of Rowley's TikTok content will be pleased to see Minty, Rowley's viral caricature of an uber-posh uni student (to a Northern friend, "you sound like manual labour"). Minty makes several appearances but never feels dragged out, though you might get the urge to offer Rowley a throat lozenge for this character, who is surely a strain on the vocal cords.
Beyond charming, Rowley himself is a five-star performer, though his show loses a bit of steam towards the end. Everyone in the audience, which tonight includes Rowley's presumably long-suffering best friend, is having a whale of a time as Rowley bounds his way through his material with the zeal of a more experienced performer. With his face and following, it would be easy for Rowley to sell out for some presenting gig – this would be a waste of his clear talent for writing and performing. Whatever Rowley goes on to next, it is sure to be pure entertainment.
Review by Annie Aslett (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Annie is a not-so-recent graduate of the University of Edinburgh with a degree in French and Spanish, along with a Masters in Translation from the University of Glasgow. A Spanish teacher for three years, she decided to leave the classroom behind to pursue personal goals and has since been regularly reviewing for Corr Blimey's Glaswegian wing. Annie is a life-long lover of musical theatre, whose childhood performances included a rousing production of Snow White in The Hall and a heartfelt rendition of Go, Go, Go Joseph in The Living Room.
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