Reviews Archive: January - March 1998

DENIS AHERN, at JOE'S COMEDY MADHOUSE, Stoke Newington, London N16

BAD HAIR DAY comic Denis Ahern bowed out of show business at the Madhouse - with his greatest performance ever.

Ex-fireman Ahern, who has decided to give up his dream of becoming a professional stand-up to placate his wife and concentrate on his new job as a pub inspector, stormed the show with his bizarre hair tricks, silly gags and sad tales about his life on the oh-too-earnest London comedy circuit.

At the end of his hilarious and moving set, the packed audience and the talented line-up that night - Michael Eaves, Simon Carter, Mal Kay, Chief Ffi and brilliant headliner Dominic Frisbee as the Upper Class Rapper - were begging him not to go into retirement.

With a tear in his eye, Ahern said, perhaps, he could be persuaded to make one last come-back. Good for you, Denis!

STAR RATING (out of five): *****

-- Zoe Smith


ALAN DAVIES, DUCHESS THEATRE, LONDON

ALAN DAVIES put in a fine and lengthy performance, entertaining his audience for more than an hour-and-a-half with masses of blue and scatological material.

His stand-up fans loved it, but the swearing and risque nature of his performance evidently came as a huge shock to a row of elderly Jonathan Creek viewers who were sitting behind me. They sat stony-faced throughout!

STAR RATING (out of five): ****

-- Zoe Smith


PHILL JUPITUS, Jedi, Steady, Go Tour preview, The Banana Cabaret

THIS was, as Jupitus pointed out, a rehearsal. He even did the warm-up, because the booked act, John Mann, was ill.

That was a real treat, even though Jupitus seemed rusty.

The actual show is based on the Star Wars films, and there's a large supporting cast, despite it being billed as a one-man show.

I'm not a big fan of Star Wars but still enjoyed the show, even missing a lot of the jokes.

The men in the audience seemed to enjoy it more than the women.

If it's cut down in length, the nationwide tour should be a treat.

It's worth going just to hear the conspiracy theories as to why Chewbacca didn't get subtitles.

STAR RATING (out of five): ***

-- M. Newton


THE BLUE-EYED MAID, BOROUGH, SEI

THIS new club in Borough provided an excellent night's entertainment.

Oddball Lee Canterbury, slightly-camp actor Michael Eaves and outrageous Manchester City supporter Danny Hurst went down well with the capacity audience - as did gagmeister Joe Wilson, and jolly MC Ava.

STAR RATING (out of five): ****

-- Zoe Smith


SEAN HUGHES - ALIBIS FOR LIFE, THE ALMEIDA, ISLINGTON

THIS was a show that Hughes has been touring with for some time now, but is kept relevant through audience participation.

It is described as more of a comedy concert than as regular stand-up. There is a general theme of relationships running through the evening.

However, the show is split into sections, each title of which is shown by a slide show.

This seems more to keep the evening on track and to prompt the memory than was necessary for the audience.

It certainly wasn't an evening of bland comedy. A long section on pornography spoke volumes about the audience, splitting it into three sections: those who understood the jokes and references; those who didn't; and those who walked out, as the row behind me did.

The Almeida Theatre itself was a wonderful venue; intimate, full and friendly. As for Hughes, if you get the opportunity to see him, I would recommend you do. But be prepared for some strong opinions rather than insipid observations.

STAR RATING (out of five): *****

-- M.Newton


SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE TUT AND SHIVE, ISLINGTON

ANOTHER Sunday night in this pokey room above a pub. But to be fair, the venue has improved a bit since the slob of a landlord quit.

But on with the comedy. First act on was Njonjo Mwangi - a white English bloke who pretends to be a black African and talks about life in his village, OK.

He's not going to win any prizes for political correctness, but he was actually fairly funny and not offensive to my mind.

However, I'm not sure Chief Ffi, a black African comedian who performed later on, would agree. His act wasn't as funny as Mwangi's, which had also totally upstaged it!

MC Justin Rosenholtz worked hard but talked too much - and doesn't have enough strong material.

The same could be said of camp Mancunian Danny Hurst. He needs to cut down his act a lot, and concentrate on the best section.

Australian musical act Glenn Scrivener - a politics undergraduate at Balliol College, Oxford - was quite good. He has a nice rapport with the audience, which sees him through poorish material and a terrible poem.

Headliner Cathy P was all right. Her accents are good, but she still has a long way to go before she becomes a good pro on the circuit.

STAR RATING (out of five): **

-- John Behrens


SCREAMING BLUE MURDER 10th ANNIVERSARY COMEDY FESTIVAL, The Mitre, Hampton Court

COMEDY star Lee Hurst was so good as compere, I was crying with laughter within two minutes of him going on stage.

Hurst really is outstanding and always a pleasure to watch. The other professional acts were also excellent.

Martin Coyote was droll, with great style and good solid humour. Sean Lock was bizarre. He's not to everyone's taste, but had the best and most memorable line of the evening. (it's the one liner about sharks).

And John Moloney quickly found the level of the audience and took his set a couple of steps below it! I haven't seen him for a while. But he didn't disappoint.

Unfortunately, Graeme Swanson, in the open spot, died on his backside. He definitely has potential, but needs a year or so before I'd want to see him again.

STAR RATING (out of five): ****

-- M Newton


ANTON at The Comedy Cafe, Shoreditch.

THIS Liverpudlian comic turned in the performance of the night at the Cafe - with brazen delivery and an unusual disregard for the rules of comedy.

I loved the way he told a string of gags with the punchline "Doggie style!", warning the audience what was coming in advance. His scruffbag Scouser look - boots, anorak and a mass of black curly hair, belies the skill and care that has gone into his work.

In comparison, Nick Doody looked very weak - turning off sections of the audience with distasteful jibes at minority groups. Not a smart move for a comedy hopeful.

MC Simon Dowd is another crude operator, and swears on stage far more than is necessary or effective for comedy.

Experienced act Paul Rogan was also disappointing. He has mountains of material, some of it very funny and his accents are good.

But there's nothing special about his comedy. He's not moving the game forward, just slightly sideways.

STAR RATING (out of five): ***

-- John Behrens


ALAN FRANCIS at JOE'S COMEDY MADHOUSE, London N16.

GENTLE HUMORIST Alan Francis showed the simple power of his comedy with a stunning display at the Madhouse.

He won over an attentive but difficult-to-please audience with the charm and honesty of his delivery and the plain brilliance of some of his gags.

Whether joking about his immediate surroundings or the nick-names of surreal killers, Francis is a natural comic. . . and a pleasure to see in action.

It was also great to find Joe's Comedy Madhouse back on top form.

STAR RATING (out of five): *****

-- Zoe Smith


SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE FEWTERER AND FIRKIN, Sydenham, south London

FREE-ON-THE-DOOR gigs in Firkin pubs do not generally bode well. They are often poorly run by comics with more interest in themselves than their club; attract rowdy audiences who want only to humiliate the inexperienced acts; and can be spoilt anyway by the background noise from the rest of the club.

But this night was the exception that proved the rule. Zany American Elizabeth Charbonneau and her man seemed to have put some serious thought into the club. There was a black backdrop, some lights and a place for the comics to wait before going on.

Moreover, she had the audience under her thumb, reducing the risk of hecklers spoiling the evening for everyone. The line-up was also good. Creative Logan Murray was his usual excellent self; Brian Damage's downbeat musical act went down a treat.

Jack Cutting is a workman-like performer rather than a profoundly-gifted comic, and put in a good set, ranging in material from the similarity between old and very young people to a far-fetched story about his celebrity neighbours. .

STAR RATING (out of five): ***

-- Zoe Smith


THE FORTNIGHT CLUB, MORIARTY'S, ISLINGTON

LOGAN Murray's first-rate comedy workshop club did not disappoint.

Experienced acts tested out new material in front of a sympathetic audience who like the cutting edge of the whole venture.

Milton Jones had some cracking new lines as did Richard Allen and relative newcomer Simon Evans.

Timandra's topical material, on the other hand, was rather disappointing. She'd simply turned down that day's Guardian in a rather obvious comic fashion.

But best of the night was. . . Murray himself as the sexist old compere Ronnie Rigsby.

STAR RATING (out of five): ****

-- John Behrens


BUCCANEERS COMEDY, THE HOPE, W1

ANDY LAUD's club has much to commend it. Laud is a gentle and modest compere and a skilful booker of acts.

First-on Paddy Bramwells showed he had acting talent as well as good material, some of which he forgot on stage.

Shappi Khorsandi gets better and better. She is a natural and charismatic performer: her personality comes across very well and her voices are good.

Ed Hill needs to play around with his vicar character act. He's 90 per cent there but has to relate more to the audience to avoid turning into a comedy cul de sac, as Laud might say.

Robin Banks is a frightening looking character: burly, with a long ponytail and clad in a gangster outfit. No-one is quite sure how much is an act. He did well, however, despite the crude and cruel nature of many of his gags.

Simon Evans was a worthy headliner. His material - his condescending take on the world - is strong, and he delivers it straight - and with supreme confidence. If he keeps on working like this, he will go far.

STAR RATING (out of five): ****

-- Helen Smith


THE MONDAY CLUB, MADAME JO JO'S, Soho

RIGHT from the start, MC Dick Bradnum was going to find it hard.

When full and with the right sort of punter, Madame Jo Jo's is probably lively. But it wasn't for this incarnation of the Monday Club.

Bradnum tried hard - sometimes too hard. He's engaging and funny but a bit low on material - warm ups are all very well but you can't really get away with them every time you come on stage.

Mind you, the audience was as cold as a corpse.

It got worse. Addy Borg was first up. I suspect he's got a good act. We didn't see it.

He started the evening's trend for worrying about the hostility of the audience - and promptly forgot all his material. (Members of the audience actually suggested that he start again).

A cardinal rules of comedy is: DON'T TALK WITH THE AUDIENCE - unless that's actually your act. And you're very good at it.

Next was Noel Britton who has some good gags and delivers them well. When he's not worrying about the coldness of the audience.

If there were any unused heckle put-downs left on the planet after his act, I'd be very surprised.

Heckles which didn't even exist were put down. Sometimes too cruelly.

He should just do the jokes and the audience would get into you. But I'd like to see him somewhere else.

After the interval, the strangely-dislocated Sebastian Michael and his surreal songs were nice. So was he.

And a bit mad. I enjoyed his stuff - at least he wasn't worrying about the crowd all the time.

Then came Marcus Brigstocke. Occasionally, he forgot about how crap the audience was and did his act - parts of which have done the rounds of The Standup Show.

He's really very good. Well thought-out and with really good material.

He even more or less coped with the apathy in the room. A good professional job, really.

On another night in another place he might have brought the house down.

Finally the headline act. Milton Jones - an original. I've seen him in Edinburgh in his own show and he's great. Original perspective and style. Mad staring eyes. Blue boiler suit.

He pretty much ignored the crowd and just got on with it. He was funny and strange. But I'm not sure that stand-up is really his thing - his humour, unlike a lot of gag-based stuff, could stand being extended.

His trains of thought deserve a bit more than one-liners. He seems to me to be more of an actor than many stand-ups.

He's not just the bloke down the pub with the jokes. I'd like to see him in a longer piece again - or as a comedy character in the Pub Landlord mould.

On the night he too suffered from the low quality of the audience but he got on with it and was one of those great acts that divides the room into mirth and misery.

I'll see him again but hopefully not at The Monday Club.

STAR RATING (out of five): *** (for the acts) but just * for the club.
-- ANTHONY LILLEY