‘A Bunch of Celts’ is advertised as featuring Irishmen Martin Mor and Donal Vaughn, and Glaswegian Vladimir McTavish. And maybe on the night you go, that’s what you’ll get. But not on opening night, and I can only review what I saw.

I’ve seen Donal Vaughn’s ‘Science Magic’ show for children, and thought he would probably be entertaining as a performer for adults (in fact, he’s fantastic). Vladimir McTavish was an unknown quantity, but his act was even funnier than his hairstyle, which is an achievement in itself. And I’d greatly enjoyed Martin Mor’s show at a previous FRINGE WORLD and was looking forward to seeing him again, so I was disappointed when he didn’t appear, particularly as his replacement – the opening act not named in the ads – is the show’s weakest.

The highlight of the show I saw was Donal Vaughn’s cheerfully self-effacing routine. His act for adults is definitely not child-friendly, though it includes one his science show magic tricks with a NSFW twist (don’t worry, the show does not include any nudity, though when you see Vladimir McTavish’s suit, you could be excused for wishing it did).

McTavish’s routine consists largely of skewering politicians, particularly British politicians, though as a Glaswegian he can’t resist the occasional swipe at Edinburgh.

The opening act starts by comparing Scots and Australian culture with their shared emphasis on swearing and drinking, then turns to some of the differences, with a focus on the illegal drug of choice in different cities. Okay, so Perth has a meth problem; I get it. But Vaughn’s digs are mostly aimed at himself, and McTavish’s put-downs of pollies are no worse (and much funnier) than many you’ll see on social media; unlike this young man from Edinburgh. neither of them stereotyped and ridiculed the audience.

As the song goes, You can’t always get what you want… but as another song goes, Two out of three ain’t bad. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more from Mor, Vaughn and McTavish.