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Promotional art for Disabled Coconut
Cover image credit: Promotional image via Comedy Dynamics

Disabled Coconut

Aaron Simmonds

Comedy Dynamics · 2020 · 58 min

Stand-up storytelling about competitive disability and an unlikely Newcastle romance.

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Released , on Comedy Dynamics.

Aaron Simmonds opens by hauling himself out of his wheelchair onto a tall stool so the room can actually see him, laying out the friction that drives the hour: what happens when disabled strangers decide you are not disabled enough. Simmonds has cerebral palsy, but past careers in wheelchair basketball and competitive powerlifting gave him the upper body strength to get into places he was not intended to reach. When he hauled himself up a flight of stairs for a gig in an inaccessible Newcastle pub, an online backlash erupted accusing him of betraying the disabled community.

The show turns that absurd internet trial into the backdrop for an unconventional romance. That same night in Newcastle was where he met his girlfriend, Amy, giving the set a twin track that bounces between early dating awkwardness and the indignities of public transit. It also introduces his grandmother, an octogenarian who eagerly took to Twitter to trade insults with his detractors.

Filmed by NextUp Comedy at Underbelly during the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the special was released in August 2020 by Comedy Dynamics. Simmonds was coming off a finalist finish at the BBC New Comedy Award, and the live run earned him an Amused Moose Comedy Award nomination.

Some reviewers at the Fringe felt the narrative resolved itself a little too neatly to be entirely spontaneous, though Simmonds carries the escalating coincidences with easy, conversational timing.

Notable bits & set list

4 bits

  1. Being accused of being a 'disabled coconut' and trolled online

    Explaining how an inaccessible gig in Newcastle led to trolls claiming he was not 'disabled enough' or abandoning other disabled people, defended by his clapback-queen grandmother.

  2. Meeting his girlfriend Amy and her father

    Recounting awkward early dates and an excruciatingly embarrassing, inauspicious first meeting with her dad.

  3. First paid gig leading to performing on BBC2

    Narrating how his initial comedy steps escalated to national television appearances within a year.

  4. Escalators and gluten intolerance

    Warm-up humor addressing navigating escalators in a wheelchair and personal physical quirks.

How it plays

Tone
Warm, witty, personal, positive, with occasional cruder elements.
On stage
Affable, self-effacing, confident, sparky, and smiley presence on stage, described as 'fiercely independent but very lazy'.
Pace
Belts along with a keen sense of timing and rhythm, knowing when to hold back and give gags space.
About
living and dating with cerebral palsy, online trolling and competitive disability, family and relationships, everyday awkwardness and patronising behavior

What the critics said

Praised as a robustly constructed, warm, and witty romantic-comedy storytelling hour driven by expert narrative craft, strong one-liners, and endearing self-effacing humor.

In the room: Kept the audience engaged and in the palm of his hand throughout, generating laughter at every twist.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: comedydynamics.com, comedy.co.uk, justwatch.com, chortle.co.uk, scotsman.com, broadwayworld.com, theweereview.com, aaronsimmondscomedy.com, beyondthejoke.co.uk, onthemic.co.uk.

Backstory

Derived from his debut 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show; follows the online backlash and trolling he faced for performing at an inaccessible venue and being accused of not being 'properly disabled' or 'disabled enough' despite having cerebral palsy.

Details

Released
Runtime
58 min
Where
Comedy Dynamics
Director
Tom Brandt
Topics

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