stand up

While the self-styled truth tellers certainly seem to hold their sway in comedy these days, there are those who choose to take an oath to the absurd and play-fueled side of comedy. Chris Fleming is a shining, shimmying beacon of the unfettered joy of being silly and utterly ridiculous in stand-up comedy (while also still being very genuine). HELL, his latest hour special, is delightfully contrary to the title with Fleming taking viewers on a trip fantastic through his psyche and the furthest reaches of his imagination, complete with punchlines and act outs and probably the best wardrobe of any comedy special this year.

There is a certain tight tether to reality that nearly every stand-up comedian firmly holds on to during their act (improvisers/clowns/sketch folks obviously take advantage to obscure reality). Fleming foregoes this and, instead, galavants between hyper-specific observations in his actual life (hence why he opens this hour by saying it isn’t for “people with wives”) and an alternate universe where Fleming’s anxieties get ballooned into cartoonish proportions (his own personal “hell” complete with mutant theater creatures perhaps?). Chris himself even takes a big poke at the continuity of his own special during a very involved crowd interaction as well as peers into the void of the camera in order to permanently make eye contact with whoever is watching Hell. The fluctuation between, shall we say, multiverses is such a phenomenal ride that logic takes a back seat with no reservations.

Similar to the breadth and undertaking of Nick Vatterott‘s Disingenuous, Chris Fleming boldly goes where pretty much only Chris will go in Hell, but does so with abandon and the physicality of a contortionist on their day off. It might be fair to say that no comedian is having as much fun on stage as Fleming does and, it turns out, that fun is pretty damn infectious.

Chris Fleming: HELL is streaming now on Peacock.