Edinburgh Fringe review: Travis Jay makes a solid debut with Funny, Petty, Cool

A confident and engaging performer, Travis Jay makes a solid Edinburgh Fringe debut with Funny, Petty, Cool.

Set in Just The Tonic’s Attic Room, the show has the right amount of energy to give you a mid-afternoon boost.

Confessing that he’s been hooked on this year’s Love Island, Travis questions the media’s portrayal of contestant Ovie, and their apparent surprise that a young black man can show his emotions.

It’s the entry into a show that has an underlying theme throughout of masculinity, particularly among black men, whether it’s about boxer Anthony Joshua’s polite trash talking or Travis’ attitude to crying when his grandfather died.

There are plenty of laughs throughout, with the best parts of the show coming when Travis details his ‘ugly-crying’ and what it’s like being a father to two kids, a boy and a girl, and the trials and tribulations that come with it.

Travis also nails some impressions, from New York gangster to Mickey Mouse, and dips his toe more than once into political and societal attitudes towards race without diving right in. He stays on lighter observations while still giving a fresh and funny perspective that anyone in the audience would be enlightened by.

Overall it’s an enjoyable show that gives promise of more to come from an emerging, talented performer.