Ryan Cullen: Cullen Me Softly - Fringe Review

Thomas Levi
53 minutes ago
2 min read

★★★☆☆

Ryan Cullen: Cullen Me Softly is packed with meticulously constructed one-liners and delivered with an almost unnervingly calm confidence; it's an hour that showcases exceptional comic craftsmanship, even if its relentless rhythm eventually works against itself.

There is no elaborate narrative or emotional journey here. Cullen tells the audience exactly what they're getting: an hour of dark comedy. From religion and dead grandparents to the year's most controversial headlines, nothing is off limits. The show moves rapidly through tightly engineered one-liners, occasionally expanding into short anecdotes before quickly returning to its relentless barrage of punchlines.

Cullen's joke-writing is nanoscopically precise. Every joke feels like the most effective version it can be, with each word chosen to maximise the impact of the final line. His understated, almost deadpan delivery makes the material land even harder, allowing shocking subjects to arrive without unnecessary flourish. Rather than chasing outrage, he trusts the mechanics of the writing.

That consistency is also where the show loses momentum for me. By the second half, I realised I had stopped laughing. The jokes hadn't become weaker, and Cullen certainly hadn't lost control of the room. Instead, I found myself analysing the machinery rather than enjoying the ride. The rhythm became so dependable that I began anticipating the structure before the punchline arrived. As someone fascinated by performance and writing, I was captivated by the craftsmanship. As an audience member in a comedy club, I became increasingly detached from the experience.

Early on, the dark humour catches you off guard, but by the second half I'd become accustomed to it. Jokes about Conor McGregor, Jeffrey Epstein and child abuse are still incredibly well written, but once you've spent an hour in that world, the shock factor inevitably begins to wear off. The jokes are just as clever; they simply don't hit with the same force.

That doesn't diminish Ryan Cullen's talent. Quite the opposite. Few comedians demonstrate such command over joke construction or such confidence in their own voice. Cullen Me Softly is an impressive display of comic writing and will delight audiences who appreciate expertly crafted dark humour. However, I left admiring the performer more than the performance.