If you don’t know Will Owen yet don’t worry you will. His latest Edinburgh Fringe show, Looking Fab At Fifty, is an effective calling card for this talented, engaging and witty performer who seems destined to be a household name.
It’s harsh to make comparisons, particularly as one of the themes of the show is Owen’s painful realisation that he is not unique, but he fits snugly into a line of camp comics including Graham Norton and Julian Clary, albeit in a good way. He has a quick brain and a sharp tongue and uses both to great effect from the moment he walks on sporting shirt, tie and shorts.
The title of the show, by the way, is misleading. Not just because Owen is still only 26 but because he doesn’t really reference it specifically in his set. Perhaps it was one of those cases where he needed a title to put in the Fringe programme and then the writing went in a different direction.
His story kicks off with an anecdote about getting his mum a shout out via Michelle Visage on Radio 2 – maybe it’s his mum who is Fab at Fifty? – before spiralling off into talking about his own messy, mucky and by the sound of it time-consuming, sex life, usually conducted via Grindr.
One of his attributes which will stand him in good stead in the future is his crowdwork. He has an immediate rapport with the audience, bantering with them, probing them and getting the most out of them, without ever being nasty, bitchy or bullying. Though he can give good side eye when he disagrees with a response.
The set frequently circles around the same things as his 2024 origin story show, looking for love but being a commitmentphobe, the pros and cons of being gay, but it’s totally understandable as these are the things that interest him at his age. Maybe he wears shorts because deep down he feels that he hasn’t really grown up yet.
At times the scripted material is a little underwritten, though there is a very tart routine about a promising date that results in him being reviewed on airbnb. But Owen is really selling is his personality here and it’s a winning one. The show ends on a high with a strong musical finish hinting at further skills beyond storytelling. TV fame surely beckons. All he really needs is the right vehicle and some long trousers.
Until August 24. Buy tickets here.
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