Anna Burnside reviews a smart and witty production.
Dan Bye’s Imaginary Friends is not part of the Glasgow Comedy Festival. Which is a huge shame as it’s smarter and wittier, in a Stewart Lee uncomfortably thought-provoking way, than much of their predictable lineup.
Bye, a singular theatre-maker, goes it alone with this meta layered show about grief, having faith in humanity and Piers Morgan. Strand one is the conceit that he is a comedian with a late night satirical radio show and in constant search of material.
Even when he’s at his brother’s death bed.
Strand two is that he’s sitting in his office trying to write this sparkling dystopian humour but gets distracted by watching a cat inch towards a pigeon. This metaphor is woven through the show.
There is plenty more in this hallucinogenic shaggy dog story that bounces between the horrors of current events, the most unpleasant people populating the zeitgeist—that’s where Morgan comes in—and the sheep-like behaviour of the people who stand and watch it all happen.
Bye’s performance nods to standup but cleverly weaves in theatrical devices—minimal but dramatic lighting, a well-crafted soundscape, swapping between using a mic and his unamplified voice—to make this much more than a comedy set.
It’s funny, but only because if we didn’t laugh at this stuff we’d have to cry.
Imaginary Friends was reviewed at the Tron Theatre. It continues to tour throughout 2025. For further details, go to the artist’s website.
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