Watching a comedian fall apart on stage is usually about as fun as a root canal. In Ted Walliker's new play at Riverside Studios, London, the performer's breakdown is intentional, but the show's broader ambitions sort of wander off and get lost. Marketed as a standup set that twists into an absurd faux-confessional, this co-production debut for Riverside Studios is essentially a one-man detour.
The trouble begins when the standup framing device gets rudely shoved aside almost immediately. When bumbling posh-boy comedian Tony (played by Walliker) fails to land the laughs he's after, he tries on a tougher persona and launches into a violent story of misadventure involving Mike, his best friend, long-time crush, and all-around scoundrel. A delirious pep enters Tony's step as he outlines a gratuitously gruesome night featuring pulled-off faces and munched-up bones. Spiraling from a mistake at McDonald's where we meet the titular Ron, we're hurled into an entirely different play, with only the occasional nod to us "folks" to remind us this was supposed to be a comedy set.