We all know Max Fosh from his street interviews and YouTube pranks. Best known for his video about a grapefruit and a pomegranate with the famous one-liner “I don’t know my fruits”, as well as pulling the Uno reverse card at a referee in the Sideman charity football match, he’s a staple to any student’s TikTok feed.
My main thought upon entering the Great Hall was, he’s just a millennial who plays on simple loopholes right…, turns out I was wrong. Max’s set was well rehearsed and well thought out, with unexpected twists and turns. Though the show was scripted, as many stand-up comedy sets are, Max jokes around with the audience, picking up on me and my Blue Peter Badge winning bug hotel several times (10-year-old Amberly would be so proud), and exposing our ‘Exetah’ gossip. He clearly understood his demographic and his energy matched the audience perfectly. Max found so many loopholes, physically and metaphysically, it was impressive to say the least. His presence on stage was commanding, cleverly crafting slideshows and videos to accompany his jokes, making the whole show a holistic experience.
“Je suis not a good boy.”
Max Fosh
The show centred around Max’s YouTube videos, giving the audience an inside scoop into why he is “Je suis not a good boy”. Two of his longer-term pranks involved the London Aquarium and Gregory, delving into the aftermath of these. The aftermath of the London Aquarium involved a long email chain with Harry, who was displeased that Max had stuck into the establishment as a baby in a pram – genius. The other prank involved body-builder Gregory, who made the shocking discovering that Max was “just being silly”, to which Max replied, with reference to his creation, “It’s quite literally my religion Gregory. Max didn’t fail to engage the audience, calling upon them for their personal stories, gossip, and their opinions, so we could all laugh together. It was pure twenty-something comedy, further captured by the pre-show playlist (Apple by CharlieXCX I’m looking at you), and the small details featuring on the frame around the screen.
Though the main topics of his jokes were his Youtube videos, it gave us a look a behind-the-scenes, as though we were not an audience, but friends that he was sharing his stories with. The show felt oddly personal to him, showcasing his achievements (if you count breaking into the London aquarium in a pram an achievement) and his journey to fame, on screens, and now, on the stage.
Though the main topics of his jokes were his Youtube videos, it gave us a look a behind-the-scenes, as though we were not an audience, but friends that he was sharing his stories with.
The show erupted into laughter and tears at the closing act, where Max brings an individual up on stage. However, this audience member is picked at random earlier in the show, and ended up causing a lot of drama, and potentially scarring a 14-year-old and his underdeveloped frontal lobe. But what is this crowd-pleasing closing act? I guess you’ll have to watch the show to find out. Tickets are available here.
